AC Milan President Silvio Berlusconi has confirmed that Mario Balotelli will return to Liverpool for pre-season training this summer.
The 25-year-old has had a less than successful season on loan with the Rossoneri, scoring just one Serie A goal as injury curtailed his progress.
In turn, he has also missed out on the Italy squad for Euro 2016, and will now face an uncertain future once again with doubts over whether or not Jurgen Klopp has space for him at Anfield.
Berlusconi has now confirmed that Balotelli will not be joining the Italian outfit on a permanent basis, while a string of other experienced stars will also be leaving the club this summer.
“Balotelli’s contract with us has expired and there are going to be many players leaving us,” Berlusconi told Telelombardia. “Players like Alex, Mexes, Boateng and Balotelli are all out of contract and there will be others released too.
“Even if the Chinese [investors] arrive, they still want me to be responsible for the transfer market.”
Berlusconi went on to discuss the latest developments regarding the takeover, suggesting that the Chinese consortium interested in buying a 70 per cent stake in the club want him to continue as President for another three years.
That’s unlikely to be a popular agreement with supporters, although if investment is made and transfer funds are available, then perhaps the frustration will be alleviated slightly.
Nevertheless, it now remains to be seen what happens with Balotelli, as having failed to convince Milan and with Liverpool likely to want to offload him, it’s unclear where he goes next.
He would perhaps favour a return to Italy with a different club, although given his circumstances and global appeal, a lucrative move to China or perhaps MLS could also be on the table for the Italian international.
It’s certainly another disappointment for the former Inter and Manchester City star, as he continues to fall short of reaching expectations.