Rumors emerged a few weeks ago when the Merseyside Reds and the Rossoneri met in the International Champions Cup final in the United States. However, both clubs denied that a deal had been agreed. And according to Milan CEO Galliani, there was no contact from Liverpool even on Wednesday.
This Thursday, though, speculations became official: Liverpool agreed on a £16M transfer fee to bring the troublesome "Supermario" back to England. Milan confirmed the forward's departure from Italy with a statement on their official website which read:
"Mario Balotelli left Milanello's sporting centre at 13:30 local time, after saying goodbye to his team-mates. Before leaving the premises, the striker has said goodbye to members of Milan's press office."
Balotelli himself had told Sky Sports Italia that "this will be my last day in Milan." It was during a Manchester Derby in October 2011 that Balotelli famously celebrated a goal by revealing "Why Always Me?" written on his underwear.
Will controversy follow Balotelli at Anfield?
Coach Brendan Rodgers, who was able to man-manage Luis Suarez, will be tasked to do what ex-Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho and former Man City boss Roberto Mancini couldn't: to keep Mario Balotelli under control and get the best out of his attacking potential. Andrea Pirlo, however, believes that his fellow countryman will not pose problems on his return to England.
"Mario has matured since he has been back in Italy. He will be the first to admit when he was younger he made some mistakes - but he is not that player anymore. Anybody who still talks about him in that way is living in the past," Pirlo told the press.
"I have always said that in the right environment he has the potential to be one of the best strikers in Europe. He needs to be given space."
From a boy, to a man... to a legend? Balotelli has Pirlo's support.
Pirlo fired a warning to the media by concluding:
"The media do not need to write a story every time he goes to the shops. The time has come to write only about what he does on the field."
Liverpool let Suarez join Barcelona for £65M after the 2014 World Cup. They will be hoping that Balotelli's investment turns out to be a good one after reportedly failing to land transfer targets Radamel Falcao, Karim Benzema or Loic Remy. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus and free agent Samuel Eto'o remain possible options for the Merseyside Reds before the end of the summer transfer window.
Luis Suarez OUT. Balotelli IN. Good move by Liverpool?
