Liverpool Transfer News: Mario Balotelli to Besiktas Denied, Latest Reds Rumours
Besiktas have rejected comments made by Mino Raiola, Mario Balotelli's agent, that suggested they are interested in the Liverpool striker.
According to the Mirror's David Anderson, Raiola said the Turkish club were hoping to buy the Italian, but Besiktas sporting director Erdal Torunogullari responded: "We know Raiola well. He’s even said Balotelli will go to Besiktas, but it’s not like that. We’re not interested, our priority is to hold on to Mario Gomez."
The forward does not appear to have a future at Anfield after a poor season at the club was followed by a year on loan with AC Milan, but he didn't show the Rossoneri enough for them to commit to a permanent deal.
Indeed, he bagged just three goals for the club, two in the Coppa Italia and a penalty in Serie A. WhoScored.com revealed a stat Balotelli will not be proud of:
It's worth noting that after a fairly bright start to his loan spell—in which he converted the penalty to beat Udinese 3-2—he did suffer an unfortunate injury that kept him out until January. However, upon his return, the two cup goals against Alessandria were all he could muster.
Balotelli clearly possesses a lot of ability, and he's still only 25, but so far his career has been characterised by frustration at being unable to reach his potential. Per Squawka News, international team-mate Leonardo Bonucci summarised him well:
The Reds cannot afford to field a striker misfiring as badly as he is, but they may have little choice but to keep him as offloading him appears to be difficult—unsurprising after netting just seven goals in two seasons.
If that is the case, they'll have to hope Jurgen Klopp can be the manager who finally brings out the best in him.
Further back, the Reds are reportedly waiting for the results of UEFA's investigation into Mamadou Sakho before pursuing another centre-back, per the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce.
The defender served a month-long provisional ban after failing a drug test. While UEFA decided not to extend it, it is now looking into the fat-burning substance he tested positively for, and as such, it's unclear whether he'll be available for Liverpool next year.
If he's able to play, the Reds will have four centre-backs to call upon with Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez also available—Kolo Toure was released and Martin Skrtel is set to join Fenerbahce, according to Pearce.
The Frenchman developed into an excellent defender during his time at Liverpool, causing Bleacher Report UK's Jack Lusby to rue his absence upon receiving the ban:
Squawka Football demonstrated the kind of all-action defensive performance he was known for last season:
If he is set to miss a significant portion of next season, it will likely necessitate another signing to provide cover—especially as the 19-year-old Gomez is coming back from a lengthy injury that saw him miss most of last year.
Liverpool's unreliability at the back has been a real Achilles' heel in recent years. The signings of Matip and goalkeeper Loris Karius should go some way to rectifying that, but, for now, Sakho's future remains a big question mark.
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