Liverpool Transfer News: Edin Dzeko Reportedly Targeted, Mario Balotelli Rumours

Liverpool are reportedly ready to bring Edin Dzeko back to the Premier League after his forgettable first season at AS Roma.

That’s according to Tribal Football (h/t Rhys Turrell of the Daily Star), who stated the Reds are looking at the former Manchester City man. Roma are said to be willing to cash in on the Bosnia-Herzegovina international, who has struggled to find his feet in the Italian top flight, according to Edo Dalmonte of CalcioMercato.com, quoting the Star's story.

Dzeko knows all about the Premier League having scored plenty during his spell at the Etihad Stadium.

Here is a look at a few bright moments from his campaign in the Italian capital:

It’s noted in the piece that Dzeko does want to stay at the Stadio Olimpico and has already turned down a chance to move to the Chinese Super League. However, as noted here by Bosnian football journalist Sasa Ibrulj, opportunities have been scarce for the forward at Roma:

Dzeko would be an interesting capture for Liverpool. While there were times at Manchester City when the striker looked a little cumbersome, he was always an effective option, whether starting matches or coming off the bench. His physicality and aerial ability are well-suited to English football, too.

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Manager Jurgen Klopp may view him as an upgrade on someone like Christian Benteke. Dzeko isn’t the quickest, although he’s more mobile and industrious than the Reds’ current No. 9, who doesn’t seem to align with the manager’s blueprint.

This graphic from WhoScored.com documented the striker’s demise at Anfield:

Even so, better options are surely out there for the Reds. Klopp built a team full of hungry young players when he was at Dortmund, and you would anticipate he’ll seek to do the same on Merseyside. Having enjoyed success with City and coming off a poor term with Roma, the former Wolfsburg forward doesn’t seem to match up with the new Anfield template.

Neither does controversial forward Mario Balotelli, whose days at Liverpool look to be numbered. According to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia), he could still have a future with Milan, though.

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It’s suggested that while the Serie A giants are not looking to sign the 25-year-old on a permanent deal, they are pondering whether or not it’s worth extending the loan deal that took him to Milan at the start of this season.

As noted here by WhoScored.com, things didn’t go well for the Italy international during his second stint at the San Siro:

Balotelli isn’t the kind of character Klopp would want to have in his squad. The German is all about the team ethic, self-sacrifice and reaping the gains as a collective. But Balotelli has a questionable attitude, poor application and is very much a player who is all about the individual.

Still, in the right setup and with the right guidance, there is still a slender chance of Balotelli thriving for a top club in the future. His agent, Mino Raiola, told GQ (h/t BT Sport’s James Horncastle) recently that he thinks there is tremendous talent to exploit:

It’d be a huge surprise if it was exploited at Anfield, though. Former manager Brendan Rodgers brought Balotelli in as a wild card, but even he lost confidence in the forward in the final stages of his tenure. The Italian seems even less of a match for Klopp, and you can make a pretty safe bet the club will be seeking to move him on quickly.

Sadly for Balotelli, he’s at a point where options are likely to be scarce. Having failed to fire at Inter Milan, City, Milan and Liverpool, it would be a big surprise to see any team in that kind of bracket move for him. Another term on loan with the Rossoneri may be as good as things get for him in 2016-17.