Anfield side chase Inter Milan star.
Liverpool have reportedly attempted to use Mario Balotell as bait in their ongoing pursuit of Inter Milan midfielder Mateo Kovacic according to Football Italia.
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It’s a move that the San Siro side, perhaps unsurprisingly, have rejected leaving Brendan Rodgers in a tricky situation.
The Anfield side made an initial offer of €24.6m (£17m) for the 21 year old Croatian but Inter Milan want at least €30m (£21.5m) for the player.
Inter Milan’s transfer plans are hamstrung by FFP (Financial Fair Play) guidelines that mean Roberto Mancini needs to sell players before he can buy and as such Kovacic does look likely to leave.
Liverpool decision to sign troubled Italian Balotelli was always something of a gamble and such was the forward’s disastrous debut season on Merseyside, four goals in 26 appearances, that it’s likely the Premier League side will struggle to recoup much of the £16m they spent on his services last summer.