Arsenal make shock move for Mario Balotelli

Arsenal may bring the Italian striker back to Premier League this season.

Unai Emery is reportedly interested in bringing Mario Balotelli to Arsenal. The Italian striker has formerly played in the Premier League for Manchester City and Liverpool.

Gazzetta dello Sport has reported that Arsenal are monitoring Mario Balotelli. However, the site also added that along with Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Marseille are also interested in signing Balotelli. [Metro]

The website claims that the Italian striker is holding out interests from clubs outside Europe, as he wants to move within the clubs in Serie A.

Mario Balotelli revived his reputation after joining Nice in 2016 after a horrible year at Liverpool. The Italian striker could only register 5 goals throughout the season at the Merseyside club under Brendan Rodgers.

Since joining Nice, Balotelli has scored 43 goals in 66 games for the club. His recent form earned him a call-up in the Italian national side. He scored in Italy’s friendly fixture against Saudi Arabia yesterday.

According to the report, Nice is demanding a fee in the region of 9 million for Mario Balotelli.

In 2016, the Italian star admitted that he hasn’t completely ruled out a move back to Premier League. However, he insisted that a move to Liverpool is not possible.

“[If I go back to England] it would not be to Liverpool,” Balotelli said in an interview to Xinhua. “Because I found myself [performing] very bad in Liverpool. I said the team was good and the fans are amazing, but I would never go back to Liverpool,” added the Italian.

Also read: Arsenal: Probable signings and what will they bring

“The first one I think in England is Manchester City, and the second team I always like is Arsenal. That doesn’t mean I’ll go to play there. I just like them,” Balotelli said.

The Italian prefers a move to a Serie A club, as he wants to become a first team regular in the Italian side, according to the report.