Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is never usually far from the headlines and this weekend he is in the media once more, amid speculation that a transfer to AC Milan may be forthcoming.
The City forward has been linked with a move almost constantly over the course of this season after another series of disappointing performances, spats with teammates and media speculation.
It is now being reported that the Italian is in talks with AC Milan over a permanent deal (per Yahoo! Eurosport).
The story also suggests that Balotelli has given notice on his rented accommodation in Manchester, is shipping his possessions back to Italy and will soon be a Milan player—at a cost of a hefty £24 million.
Balotelli scored 13 Premier League goals last season as he aided City’s charge to the title, but this year has disappointed with a return of a single strike from 14 appearances.
A former Inter Milan player, Mario Balotelli has long been linked with a move to their city rivals, posing in an AC jersey while he still played for Inter, and also telling ESPN he would play for AC “soon,” shortly after joining Manchester City.
AC Milan President Silvio Berlusconi spoke out about Balotelli recently, before having to apologise for calling him a “bad apple” (via Fox Sports). That apology seems to have paved the way for Mario to head back home, where he would compete for a starting spot in attack with Giampaolo Pazzini, Stephan El Shaarawy, Bojan Krkic andRobinho.
Quite aside from his footballing ability and constant transfer speculations, Balotelli is one of the most media-prolific players in the European game due to his habit of getting involved in compromising situations—see 50 of them in the video above—the most recent of which was a shoving match in training with his manager, Roberto Mancini.