Mario Balotelli scored just once for Liverpool – but could he really return to the Premier League with The Reds’ Merseyside rivals, Everton?
It’s no secret that Everton are after a striker. But will their desperation really convince them to turn their attention towards one of the worst signings in the recent history of Merseyside rivals Liverpool?
Well, possibly. According to Calciomercato anyway.
The report points out that Ligue 1 side Nice will not be able to hold onto Mario Balotelli after this season unless they qualify for Europe for the second campaign in a row. With Nice eighth in the table, however, this looks unlikely.
And the report adds that Balotelli could be on his way out of the French Riviera having successfully kick-started his career under Lucian Favre, netting 15 goals in 23 Ligue 1 appearances last season and nine in 15 this.
Those statistics alone indicate why Everton may consider bringing Balotelli back for a third spell in the Premier League, according to Calciomercato, having shown a degree of interest in the summer.
But Balotelli’s disastrous 2014/15 season at Liverpool, where the £16 million striker (BBC) managed just one Premier League goal and had a clearly unstable relationship with Brendan Rodgers, may be enough to put any Toffee off the idea of seeing the one time Italian wonderkid in Everton blue.
No matter how many goals Balotelli scores this season, the prospect of the striker returning to Merseyside at the end of this season will elicit a strong response on both sides of Stanley Park.
But, if Calciomercato is to be believed, this deal may actually have legs.
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