Mario Balotelli Says His Goodbyes Ahead of Rumoured Nice Move

Following reports that Palermo had offered Mario Balotelli a paltry and insulting—by football standards, at least—£11k per week wage to make the switch back to Serie A, if anything, the 26-year-old striker’s Liverpool departure seemed further away than ever and there seemed a real chance he could end up stuck at the club.

Today, though, there are renewed, widespread reports that interest from Ligue 1’s Nice that was first reported last week, is real and that a move appears increasingly likely. To this background, Balotelli last night was seen hosting a farewell party for friends in Manchester, where he has maintained a residence from his City days.

Though he has been unable revive his career at Anfield, spending a disappointing 2014-15 season at the club before heading out on loan for a similarly disappointing 2015-16 at AC Milan, Balotelli has been unfailingly professional. Despite his reputation, the striker has kept his head down and avoided becoming a distraction.

Sadly, that wasn’t enough to earn him a place in either Brendan Rodgers’ or Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool side, yet at 26 he’s still young enough to get his career back on track if he finds the right landing place. And Nice, to all appearances, is a solid one, a step behind PSG domestically and competing in the Europa League this season.

Given the way things have gone for Balotelli the past few years, that’s about the best he probably could have hoped for. If a deal does get done, it is unclear what the terms would be, but it is expected that Liverpool would allow Balotelli to leave on a free transfer in order to clear his wages off the books.