Yes, seriously. Everton are reportedly interested in Mario Balotelli. Although he has certainly found his form with Nice in Ligue 1 this season.
If Everton want to make a statement signing, something that will make people truly sit up and take notice, nabbing Mario Balotelli on a free is a step in the right direction.
Yet, in so many ways, it would be a disaster waiting to happen. Everton’s Merseyside neighbours Liverpool found that out the hard way.
According to L’Equipe, the Toffees are genuinely considering offering Balotelli a third stab at the Premier League this summer in a deal that would surely elicit an impassioned response from Everton supporters.
If the club could guarantee that they would be signing enigmatic striker who fired unfancied Nice into the Champions League with 15 goals in 19 Ligue 1 starts this season, the Italian would surely silence his doubters at last.
However, if there is one thing we have all learned about Balotelli, it is that he is hardly the most reliable soul.
After all, the fact that Liverpool gave the one-time Manchester City title winner to Nice just two years and four goals after signing him from AC Milan for £16 million speaks volumes, as reported by the BBC. It is fair to say he and former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers (below) will not be exchanging Christmas cards this December.
And if Everton manager Ronald Koeman was willing to toss gifted winger Gerard Deulofeu out of Goodison Park for a perceived lack of work rate, how would he deal with a player whose every bead of sweat is greet with surprise?
Furthermore, it is not as if so-called ‘Super Mario’ is a character reformed. He may have found his shooting boots at the Allianz Riviera but a tally of three red cards shows that volatile streak remains.
If Balotelli failed miserably to replace Luis Suarez at Liverpool, what are the chances of him filling Romelu Lukaku’s boots across Stanley Park?
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