Mario Balotelli's Agent to Talk to Klopp About Liverpool Return

On-loan Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli failed to fit in last season at Anfield and was widely vilified during his disappointing campaign even though he wasn't given many opportunities by Brendan Rodgers down the stretch and often played in lone striker formations ill-suited to his playing style. In the summer he was loaned to AC Milan with an expectation that his days as a Liverpool player were done. However, his agent wants to explore a return to Liverpool for the Italian forward, according to Sky Sports.

"Will I speak with Jurgen Klopp? For sure. That is part of my job, to speak to all the managers. I know Klopp from Henrikh Mkhitaryan at Dortmund," said agent Mino Raiola. "If we talk about the quality and the talent Mario has, that is without question. Then you also need a manager that believes in you and gives you the chance to prove yourself. We will talk to [Klopp] when it is time to talk to him."

"Whether Klopp has a plan for him or not - I don't know, I haven't spoken to him about this or to Liverpool," continued Raiola.

Balotelli's agent went on to say that it's too soon to begin such talks and that the striker must prove himself in the second half of the season at Milan to have a reasonable shot at an Anfield return. This will be a difficult task for Balotelli, as he's coming off a hernia operation that has sidelined him for months. Moreover, the physically imposing frontman does not fit the typical Jürgen Klopp striker mold and will have to do a lot to convince the manager that a return is a good idea.