Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Palermo make Mario Balotelli offer, waiting to hear from Liverpool

Serie A club Palermo have made an offer to Liverpool for Mario Balotelli and are now waiting to hear if their bid has been accepted, according to their vice-president Guglielmo Micciche.

Balotelli is out of favour on Merseyside and almost certain to leave before the transfer window closes next week. He has been linked with several clubs in Italy, including Crotone and Sassuolo, but Palermo have emerged as strong candidates to bring the Italian back to his birth city.

"It's a very fascinating proposition," Micchiche toldĀ La Gazzetta dello Sport. "It's a very difficult operation, but we're trying. It would be a great coup for president [Maurizio] Zamparini, a gift for all of the fans.

"We've made an offer and now the ball is in Liverpool and the player's court. His salary is high and he has a pool of sponsors, so it's not an easy solution, but Palermo could be just the right place for him.

"He was born in Palermo and we consider him a citizen of Palermo. This city would welcome him with open arms -- he would be adored here. A player like him would be a dream for Palermo and he could be the leader of this team."

Balotelli -- whose family name is Barwuah -- spent only the first months of his life in Sicily before moving to Brescia, where he was adopted and brought up away from his biological parents by the Balotelli family.

The 26-year-old has played for Inter Milan and AC Milan in Italy and Manchester City and Liverpool in England, with Palermo bidding to become his third address in Serie A, and bidding to bring him back home.

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