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Sport

25th Jan 2016

Mario Balotelli linked with a Premier League return in unfamiliar surroundings

Darragh Murphy

Mario Balotelli looks set to link back up with Rickie Lambert in a reunion of Liverpool’s deadliest strike partnership.

Reports in Italy claim that the misfiring forward, who is technically still a Liverpool player, is to return for a third stint in English football.

Balotelli is currently on loan at AC Milan where he has scored just one goal all season and doesn’t appear to be in the long-term plans of Sinisa Mihajlovic.

AC Milan are considering terminating Balotelli’s  loan deal which would see the Italian international return to Liverpool where he’d be about as popular as a Brendan Rodgers one-man show.

Liverpool FC v Besiktas JK - UEFA Europa League Round of 32

Italian outlet Calciomercato claim that the 25-year-old’s representatives want Balotelli to remain in the Premier League and that West Brom and West Ham are monitoring the situation.

The Baggies have scored just 22 goals all season, with only bottom-of-the-table Aston Villa scoring fewer, and Tony Pulis is keen on bringing in reinforcements.

If anyone can get Balotelli to straighten up, it’s the baseball-capped one – but the premise of Balotelli upping his defensive output is somewhat laughable.

Still, Jurgen Klopp might consider including the Italian in a part-exchange offer for Saido Berahino. Stranger things have happened.