Mario Balotelli may not be heading for the exit door at Liverpool after all, with Brendan Rodgers apparently giving the Italy forward the chance to redeem himself at Anfield.
The striker was signed for £16 million last summer [Telegraph], but was chief among Rodgers’s transfer flops last term, managing only one Premier League goal and wholly failing to replace the goals lost when Luis Suarez swapped Merseyside for Barcelona.
The forward appears to have no future at the club, and the impending arrival of Christian Benteke—Liverpool have met the Belgian international’s £32.5 million release clause [Independent]—appears to be the final nail in the coffin for Balotelli.
The striker was omitted from Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the Far East, with rumours swirling of a departure. The likes of Sampdoria [Goal] and Fiorentina [Daily Mail] are both rumoured to be keen on the former Manchester City hitman.
However, Rodgers has thrown a curved ball into the transfer narrative, and has indicated that all may not be lost for Balotelli at Anfield.
“Mario is obviously not on tour but working hard and training well with a number of other players at Melwood,” the Northern Irish coach began, speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, as relayed by The Guardian.
“I’m not sure, that will entirely be up to Mario,” the coach continued, when asked whether the troubled forward would still be a Liverpool player come September.
“He is working hard to get fit and we will see when the season begins.”
Beyond Balotelli, two other transfer flops have also been linked with an Anfield exit.
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Rickie Lambert has failed to live up to the expectations that accompanied his fairytale arrival from Southampton, and has been tipped for a move to West Bromwich Albion [Sky Sports].
Fabio Borini, too, may not be on Merseyside for much longer, with the likes of West Ham United [Independent], Bologna [Sky Sports] and Real Sociedad [Mirror] understood to be considering the ex-Chelsea striker.