Manchester City Yet to Reach Mario Balotelli Deal
Inter Milan striker Mario Balotetti’s move to English Premier League (EPL) outfit Manchester City appears to have come to a standstill, as reports have claimed the club’s have yet to reach an agreement. Sky Sport Italia has said the move has ground to a halt after the player’s agent Mino Raiola, along with one of Balotelli’s lawyers, had been in talks with City bosses in an attempt to formalise the personal details over the transfer of the 19 year-old.
If an accord is reached over wages – previous reports had estimated that City are offering the player 3.8 million euros per year – the EPL club’s directors will reportedly fly to Italy with Balotelli’s agent to complete the details of the transfer fee with Inter bosses. The club is believed to be offering 30 million euros, plus performance-related bonuses.
Balotelli, along with his present and proposed new clubs, is hoping to conclude the deal swiftly and has urged Raiola to speed up the negotiations. However, the striker has a reputation of being a difficult player to manage – both on and off the pitch. City manager Roberto Mancini had been hopeful that he could keep the youngster under control, having worked with him before when he was the boss of Inter.
Big spending
Should the deal go ahead, City’s spending this summer on new players will approach the £100 million mark, having already snapped up Ivory Coast Yaya Toure from Barcelona, Spain winger David Silva from Valencia CF, and Germany international defender Jerome Boateng from Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin.
If Manchester City competes the signing of Balotelli they will have a man regarded as one of Europe’s brightest young talents on their books. Born to Ghanaian parents in the Italian town of Palermo, a complicated law in Italy meant that Balotelli had to wait until he turned 18 before he could request Italian citizenship. He began his career in football with lower-league club Associazione Calcio Lumezzane. At the age of 15, he made his senior club debut in a league game against Padova.
In 2006, Inter signed the player on loan, with the option to purchase his services. He began life with the Italian giants in the Under-17 squad before joining the Under-20 team at the age of 16. He scored a penalty in the Primavera final win against Sampdoria – the only goal of the game – and garnered praise from Inter chairman Massimo Moratti.
Senior debut
The youngster made his senior debut with Inter in December 2007, coming on as a substitute in a game against Cagliari. Just three days later, he made his first start against Reggina in a Coppa Italia match and scored two goals. He came to the attention of the national press in Italy after scoring a double against Juventus in a Coppa Italia quarter-final return leg, playing a pivotal role in a 3-2 away win. Balotelli also appeared in the Supercoppa Italiana final in 2008, replacing Luis Figo. Inter went on to win the cup after a penalty shoot-out.
Ahead of the 2008-09 season, Balotelli signed a new three-year contract with his club. That November, he netted against Anorthosis Famagusta of Cyprus, becoming the youngest ever player to score for Inter in the UEFA Champions League. Inter ended up the season as Serie A champions, winning the Scudetto for the fourth year in a row.
Balotelli has endured a number of problems as a result of his discipline. Manager Jose Mourinho had been angered by his attitude and left him out of the senior team for the second half of January 2009. Friction between the pair continued the following season, including an incident which saw the player left out of Inter’s Champions League match against Chelsea. Balotelli was also criticized by senior players at the club, including captain Javier Zanetti and Marco Materazzi.
As of now, Balotelli has not featured for the senior Italy national team, though he has played 16 times at Under-21 level.
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