Over the past week, Mario Balotelli has been linked with two new clubs. Today, both links are looking tenuous and unlikely at best. French side Nice, it appears, haven’t been talking for him but their president thinks it would be an okay idea if they did and have been talking to him.
They’ve also offered him wages of £11k a week according to reports, a 78% pay cut on his current £90k per week wage at Liverpool. Many will remember that the £90k he took to get the move to Anfield done was itself a reduction on what Balotelli had previously made, but £11k really does seem a step too far.
If it’s the best that Palermo can offer, it’s difficult to imagine Balotelli moving there. And if he is willing to move to Palermo for £11k per week, surely there would be another club somewhere that would be more appealing than Serie A’s 16th place side last season. Surely, for £11k, a better side would take a gamble.
Perhaps a better side like Ligue 1’s Nice, who finished fourth in France last season and qualified for the Europa League group stages as a result. They were linked with Balotelli last week, but based on their president’s comments following a draw on the weekend, it looks like the deal has been finalized.
For those hoping Nice would be a potential landing spot for Balotelli, it’s not a comment that makes it sound as though talks are at an advanced stage. Still, if the player’s at a point where £11k per week from Palermo might actually be a tempting offer, perhaps somebody should call them up right away.
The rise and fall of Mario…I feel for him