Report: PSG eye Balotelli swoop
Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly preparing a substantial offer to sign Manchester City’s troubled striker Mario Balotelli during the January transfer window.
By ESPNSTAR.com staff
Balotelli has seemingly fallen out of favour with City manager Roberto Mancini and the controversial 22-year-old's future at the club looks increasingly uncertain.
Both AC Milan and Inter Milan are thought to be interested to bringing Balotelli back to Italy, but PSG have emerged as surprise contenders for the Italian international's signature.
The free-spending French outfit signed several high-profile players, including the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, during the summer but have been inconsistent in the league; their recent 2-1 loss to nine-men Rennes led manager Carlo Ancelotti to remark that the club was 'in crisis', and according to the Sun, the 53-year-old tactician wants to sign Balotelli to bolster his forward line.
However, the major stumbling block to any potential deal appears to be the £40million price-tag which City have slapped on Balotelli, with Ancelotti valuing the highly-rated striker at around £20million instead.
Although Balotelli is believed to prefer a move back to Italy, the financial constraints on the Serie A clubs make it highly unlikely that any side will be able to tempt City to part ways with a striker they have invested so much time and effort in.
Balotelli has thus far made 73 appearances for City, scoring 29 goals in the process.