AC Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani has told the press that his now former charge Mario Balotelli was very keen to join Liverpool when the opportunity arose this summer, paving the way for his cut price £16 million switch to the Premier League side, as reported by the Daily Express.
Balotelli only moved back to AC Milan a year and a half ago, joining the club that he supported as a child from fellow English side Manchester City. He failed to settle entirely there, however, with a constantly shifting coaching team and issues surrounding racism in Italian stadiums making it difficult for him to make the impact that he was expected to.
He moved on to Liverpool in the summer transfer window, and has settled relatively well at his new club. Despite questions over his mentality, Brendan Rodgers took a risk in signing him, and was rewarded when he scored a key goal in Liverpool’s 2-1 win against Ludogorets in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Galliani revealed how keen he was to make the switch, saying: “We have a good relationship but at a certain point I understood he wanted to leave.
“I consider him to potentially be a really big player and I hope he continues to grow.
“I was very happy for his goal with Liverpool in the Champions League.”
