Mario Balotelli – Fortunebets

Mario Balotelli has joined Italian Serie B side Monza on a free transfer.

The Italian striker has been without a team since leaving relegated Brescia at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

Ambitious Monza were promoted as Serie C champions last season and are owned by former AC Milan and Italian national Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who signed Balotelli twice for the Rossoneri.

They sit ninth in Serie B and are managed by former Milan midfielder and boss Cristian Brocchi. Among his teammates at Monza, Balotelli will find Kevin-Prince Boateng and Gabriel Paletta, who he played alongside at Milan.

Balotelli started his career at Inter Milan, where he won the the Serie A title three years in a row as well as the Coppa Italia and Champions League in 2010 as part of the Treble. He also won the Golden Boy award as Europe’s best young player that year.

That summer, he joined Manchester City and won the FA Cup and Premier League title before joining Milan and returning to the Premier League with Liverpool.

Following a season at Anfield, he once again joined Milan on loan before he moved to Nice in 2016. Following a short stint at Marseille, he returned to Italy with hometown club Brescia, but could not stop them from being relegated.

Former Italy striker Mario Balotelli could be moving to Barnsley as the Championship side enquire about his availability. Balotelli is a free agent after leaving his hometown club of Brescia in June 2020. The 30-year-old is currently training with Serie D side Franciacorta to maintain his fitness.

According to reports, discussions between Barnsley’s co-chairmen Chien Lee and Paul Conway and Balotelli’s representatives have taken place. Barnsley are currently 16th in the Championship, however, signing Balotelli could be a boost to their chances of survival.

However, there are plenty of hurdles in the way of this potential deal.

Mario Balotelli is represented by ‘super agent’ Mino Raiola who is known as a tough negotiator. Additionally, the Tykes will need to be able to cover Balotelli’s likely wage demands. As well as this, a drop into the Championship may not tempt Balotelli as he has played in the Premier League previously.

There have also been reports of interest from Watford after their relegation to the Championship.

If the deal does go through, it will be the third stint in England for the former Liverpool and Manchester City striker. Since leaving England in 2015, Balotelli’s career has been somewhat patchy, another potential deterrent to clubs.