Liverpool Transfer News: Mario Balotelli in Milan Talks, Latest Lucas Rumours

Mario Balotelli may be offered an Anfield escape route after it emerged the striker is in talks with former club Milan regarding a loan return, but Lucas could be set for a move to Turkey.

Balotelli seems destined for a Merseyside exit this summer after tumbling down the Liverpool pecking order, and a Milan Channel reporter was quoted on Sunday saying Rossoneri chief Sinisa Mihajlovic has met with the striker, per Football Italia:

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There may well have been a meeting and it may well have been positive. It seems that Mihajlovic perceived the total sincerity in the words of Mario Balotelli, who had a humble approach considering also the current situation of his career.

Any statements that could confirm or deny this could only be made by Mihajlovic at the end of the game against Fiorentina. Eventually, if the Coach gave a positive response, the clubs would need to agree terms. There could already be preliminary contact between Milan and Liverpool tomorrow morning. If there were developments, a portion of his wages could be shared by Liverpool.

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The out-of-favour Italian scored just one goal in 16 Premier League games last season, and the summer arrivals of Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino and Danny Ings suggest he no longer figures in Brendan Rodgers' plans.

Former Inter forward Balotelli moved back to the San Siro in January 2013, but he spent just 18 months with Milan before agreeing to a £16 million move to Merseyside last summer.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Initial hopes were high for the 25-year-old after he netted 12 goals in 13 Serie A appearances over the latter half of the 2012-13 season, but a return of 18 goals in 41 games across all contests during the 2013-14 campaign wasn't as impressive.

GianlucaDiMarzio.com translator David Amoyal provides further quotes from Milan CEO Adriano Galliani, who talks up Balotelli's potential return as being motivated by an emotional tether to the club:

It's a big risk for Milan to consider, but the club's lack of firepower was highlighted in Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Fiorentina, opening their 2015-16 campaign Serie A campaign in limp fashion.

BeIN Sports' Tancredi Palmeri cites Sky Italy, who report the player could have a medical in Milan as early as Monday morning:

Liverpool will be glad to rid themselves of a player who's endured a torrid time since making the move back to the Premier League, despite caging some of his bad boy habits.

Allowing Balotelli to move back to Milan on temporary terms heightens the player's chances of first-team football, and if a return was successful, could help the Reds find a permanent suitor for their star next year.

Besiktas Homing In On Lucas

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Another out-of-favour Liverpool figure could be ready to leave the club on temporary terms, too, after it emerged Turkish titans Besiktas are closing in on the services of Lucas Leiva.

That's according to Adam Shergold of the Daily Mail, who notes Lucas was left out of Rodgers' squad for the first two games of the Premier League campaign.

The Brazil international has been forced to contend with numerous injury layoffs during his eight-year stay at Anfield, but Lucas has always been regarded as a valuable commodity when fit.

In fact, OptaCan details that no Premier League player has won more tackles than Lucas since he completed a £5 million move to Liverpool from Gremio in 2007:

Newly arrived vice captain James Milner looks set to play a prominent role in Rodgers' midfield alongside Jordan Henderson, while Joe Allen and Emre Can offer younger options in the engine room.

Besiktas may yet face competition in the hunt for Lucas, however, as Amoyal suggests he could still make a good fit for Juventus:

The 2014-15 campaign saw Lucas make 32 appearances across all competitions, his highest total since he played in 47 games during the 2010-11 season.

The 28-year-old currently has two years remaining on his Anfield contract, and many Anfield supporters may be sad to see one of the club's currently longest-serving players depart should he opt for the exit this summer.