Balotelli set for Liverpool return, confirm Milan

Matt Stead

Mario Balotelli looks set to return to Liverpool after AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi intimated the Serie A club would not be making their loan deal for the mercurial Italian a permanent one.

Balotelli moved back to Milan on a season-long loan last year after failing to impress in Merseyside, scoring just one Premier League goal following a £16million switch from the San Siro in August 2014.

However, his second stint with Milan has proved similarly unproductive as he has only managed to find the back of the net once in 20 league appearances, and that was last September in a 3-2 win at Udinese.

The 25-year-old started Milan’s last two league matches, leading to suggestions he could remain with the club although Berlusconi has signalled the former Manchester City striker will be heading back to Anfield.

In quotes published by Gazzetta dello Sport, Berlusconi said: “There will be many departures because players such as Alex, [Philippe] Mexes, [Kevin-Prince] Boateng and Balotelli are at the end of their contracts.”

Balotelli, who was left out of Italy’s Euro 2016 squad, admitted last month that he would be reluctant to link up with the Reds once more.

“In terms of my future I want to stay with Milan because I was not happy at Liverpool and don’t want to go back,” he said.