Topics: English Premier League, Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers, Mario Balotelli, Asier Illarramendi, Watford FC, Real Madrid
The Spanish midfielder hasn't been able to establish himself with Los Blancos, while Balotelli has been told by the team to look for new opportunities elsewhere.

Liverpool's coach Brendan Rodgers will try to add some more talent to his team before the transfer windo is shut until January. According to media reports, the Reds' skipper wants to add a new midfielder to the mix, while he gets rid of one of his headaches. The midfielder he wants to join the Merseyside team is Asier Illarramendi, while Premier League flop Mario Balotelli could be living his last days with them.

Rodgers knows that the team needs a pure holding midfielder, and Illarra fits the bill just fine. Earlier in his career, the former Real Sociedad man was deemed as one of the most promising players around, but he was not able to score a starting spot in Los Blancos' lineups under José Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti. With the recent signing of Mateo Kovacic, the Basque midfielder could be forced out of the team. Although his high buyout clause could prevent the Reds to sign him for good, a loan deal could be worked out between the two parties.

Illarra's skills were compared to those of Xabi Alonso when his career started, but his display has been rather disappointing since joining Real Madrid.

If a loan deal is possible for the midfielder, Rodgers seems to be desperately looking to get Mario Balotelli as far away as possible from the team, and the sooner, the better. Apparently, Rodgers got mad during one of last week's training sessions, when the Italian thought it would be hilarious to score an own goal from long distance.

With Italian teams such as Lazio or Sampdoria interested in signing the controversial striker, another possible destination for him could be the recently promoted Watford. Sources indicate that Balotelli would be interested in having another opportunity to show his skills with a Premier League side, and the yellow and black side could be a good choice.

Coach Rodgers refused to talk about Balotelli's future, hinting that the Italian knows he has no place with the Reds.

"He clearly knows his situation and where he’s at. There’s nothing to add. All of the players understand where they’re at. My job is to create the best possible environment for the team to succeed. That’s what I’ve always done. So I’m not going to speak about Mario when I can speak about another 25 players," Rodgers stated.