Mario Balotelli set to end football exile by joining struggling Serie A side
Mario Balotelli looks set to end his spell as a free agent by making a return to Serie A.
The former Manchester City and Liverpool striker has been a free agent since the summer, when he ended his second spell with Turkish outfit Adana Demirspor.
Balotelli has maintained a decent goalscoring record on a series on short-term contracts since departing Nice in 2019, scoring 51 goals in 118 appearances in all competitions across his spells at Marseille, Brescia, Monza, Demirspor (twice) and Swiss side Sion.
Sky Italia report that the 34 year old now has a move back to his home country in his sights, with struggling Genoa expected to complete a move for Balotelli’s services in the coming days. A medical is said to be booked in for Monday.
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Genoa entered this weekend stuck in the bottom three in Serie A with just one win from their first eight games and one of the worst goalscoring records in the division, netting just seven times in their eight games to date. They will take on Lazio on Sunday afternoon.
The club will be hoping Balotelli’s goalscoring record could help them avoid the drop back into Serie B, where they spent the 2022/23 season after a 15-year spell in the top flight game to an end. They finished 11th in their first season back in the top flight last season but again struggled for goals, scoring just 45 in their 38 league games.
Balotelli first made a name for himself at Inter Milan before securing a move to Manchester City in 2010, contributing 30 goals in 80 appearances for Roberto Mancini’s side – and often prompting headlines with his antics on and off the pitch.
The forward’s spell at Liverpool was far more forgettable: Balotelli spent just one season at Anfield in 2014/15 after signing from AC Milan, scoring just four goals in 28 appearances before returning to Milan the following season and then joining Nice in a free transfer in summer 2016.
Balotelli has 36 caps for Italy, scoring 14 goals, but has not appeared for the national team since 2018.
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