Reds boss turned down world class duo, including Man Utd new-boy.Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers turned down the chance to sign both Radamel Falcao and Edinson Cavani this summer in favour of bringing in Mario Balotelli, it has been revealed.
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The Reds had a busy summer in the transfer market as they searched for a big-name replacement for Luis Suarez following his £75m move to Barcelona, and it has now emerged that they held talks with both Falcao and Cavani before opting for the £16m Balotelli instead.
Although the Italian international, who made the return to English football after a year and a half with Serie A giants AC Milan, is known for his behavioural problems that make him a somewhat risky signing, he was available for much cheaper than the other two players in question.
Falcao eventually made the move to Liverpool’s arch rivals Manchester United in a £6m loan deal, with the Red Devils also paying his enormous wage packet for the entire season in what looks like a very pricey deal to only have the player for one year, though there is the chance of a permanent move for even more money next summer.
Cavani, meanwhile, would have been similarly expensive with Paris Saint-Germain demanding around £50m for the Uruguayan, though they later made a u-turn on their desire to offload him after an injury threatened to keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic out for some time.
Liverpool may feel they made the right decision to move for Balotelli, though there is no denying that while ha may have world class potential, he has not yet shown it as consistently as either Falcao or Cavani, who have performed in front of goal for a number of top clubs in Europe now.
However, there is no doubt that at £16m, the 24-year-old will be one of the bargains of the summer if he can reach his best form at Anfield.
Image gallery: Falcao WAG