Mario Balotelli must sign a “Good-Conduct clause” to seal £16million Anfield move

 

 

Liverpool will only sign Mario Balotelli if the player agrees to conduct clauses in his contract.

A £16million fee was agreed with AC Milan for the striker yesterday, but sources close to Brendan Rodgers suggest there are still some “significant hurdles” to overcome in talks, even though the financial terms have already largely been agreed.
We understand only if the representatives agree to stringent clauses relating to Balotelli’s behaviour will Rodgers even meet the player, who flew into the city last night after saying his goodbyes to staff and players at Milan’s training ground.

A statement on the Milanese club’s website read: “Mario Balotelli drove out of Milanello at 13.30 after saying good-bye to his team-mates and the club’s press staff.” However, only after the striker and his agent Mino Raiola accept tough proposals over his conduct will the deal progress.

And even then, Rodgers will not give the green light to the biggest transfer shock of the summer, until he has met Balotelli face to face, and assured himself that the 24-year-old can accept the culture of professional commitment at the club.

Despite rumours of the player being foisted on Rodgers by a transfer committee, close friends of the manager have confirmed he has taken the ultimate decision to attempt to sign the player, because the deal represents “phenomenal value”.
The Reds boss will refuse to talk publicly until the transfer has been completed, and that will probably not happen until after the weekend, with Liverpool concentrating on their huge game at Manchester City on Monday night.

But privately, Rodgers has accepted he is taking a massive risk with a striker who almost destroyed the reputation of former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, with the worst excesses of his behaviour at Eastlands.

The manager though, believes with strict contract clauses in place, the culture at Anfield, and the strong team mentality amongst his players can curb those worst excesses, though no one at the club will make any attempt to reform a character widely recognised as one of the most complex in football.

Liverpool also believe they have reduced the risk by reducing the price, and the believe that even if the deal backfires, they will be able to offload him in a year’s time for a similar fee, when their recent signing Divock Origi will finally arrive at Anfield, after spending a year on loan with his former club Lille. Liverpool remain interested in Samuel Eto’o, who has also held talks with Everton.