With Liverpool on the verge of completing a £16mil move for mad man Mario Balotelli, details continue to leak out regarding the deal with a number of sources reporting that the 24-year old will have a number of behavior clauses built into his contract.
Following the numerous problems the Reds had with Luis Suarez, the Anfield hierarchy aren’t about to make the same mistake with bad boy Balotelli and are reportedly taking steps to insure the striker controls his wild ways. According to the Guardian, Liverpool will are “expected to include clauses on conduct and behaviour that exceed standard practice” to make sure his commitment to the cause is never questioned. As we all know, he’s had his problems in the past.
The 24-year old has a disciplinary record of mythic proportions and his off-field shenanigans only enhance his reputation on it. During the two and a half years he spent at Manchester City, the forward was sent off a baffling four times and even threatened to take the club to court when they tried to fine him for the number of matches — eleven! — that he missed through suspension.
That, of course, pales in comparison to Luis Suarez’s numerous lengthy absences, but even the Uruguayan couldn’t drum up even a modicum of off field intrigue like the Italian with many well documented instances of buffoonery adding to the mystic.
Despite the fact that they’re in advanced negotiations, there are still some points to hash out between Liverpool CEO Ian Ayre and Balotelli’s agent Mino Raiola with his wage demands of £160,000 per week a serious sticking point. It’s being reported that he’s set to travel to Merseyside over the weekend to meet Rodgers and the rest of his coaching staff as well as get a tour of Melwood.
More on this as it develops…
