Mario Balotelli set for shock transfer as ex-Man City and Liverpool striker eyes new challenge

Mario Balotelli set for shock transfer as ex-Man City and Liverpool striker eyes new challenge

Mario Balotelli could be set for his 13th club in an extraordinary career which has seen him go from Man City and Liverpool to a Spanish third division side.

Mario Balotelli is about to leave Genoa. (Image: Jordan Peck/Getty Images )

Mario Balotelli could be heading to the third tier of Spanish football - as rumours of a quick departure from Genoa circulate. The former Manchester City and Liverpool striker - who has enjoyed an interesting career - might now be about to drop two divisions to join his 13th club.

The 34-year-old signed for Genoa in October on a contract that runs until the end of the season but, after just six appearances for the Italian outfit, he looks set to move on. Balotelli's current deal is set to expire at the end of this month and, according to reports in Spain, his agent is currently in discussions with Real Murcia.

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He was previously in talks with CF Intercity - a third-division club based in Alicante - and it appears a similar move could now be on the cards. According to The Mirror, the Italian's representatives recently met with the Murcia president, Felipe Moreno, in Madrid, before negotiating a contract with the club's sporting director, Asier Goiria.

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Murcia, located in south-eastern Spain, will compete in the third division next season following their defeat in the promotion play-offs. They aim to push for promotion to the second tier once again in the 2025/26 season.

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The club has participated in 18 La Liga seasons and holds the record for the most second-division titles with eight. However, they haven't featured in La Liga since 2008 and dropped to the fourth division in 2022 owing to financial issues.

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Clearly, the bosses at Murcia believe that the addition of a star like Balotelli could make the difference, following their loss to Gimnastic de Tarragona in the play-off semi-finals - after finishing second. The Italian has never played for a Spanish club before.

Balotelli, who will celebrate his 35th birthday in August, has had a diverse career across Europe - playing in Italy, Turkey, England, France and Switzerland. Murcia is poised to be his 13th club.

Over the years, he's enjoyed stints with Lumezzane, Inter Milan, City, AC Milan, Liverpool, Nice, Marseille, Brescia, Monza, Sion, Adana Demirspor and Genoa.

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Mario Balotelli often found himself under scrutiny at Manchester City. (Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images )

His time at Genoa was less than impressive, with all six of his Serie A appearances coming between November and December. Two yellow cards were the sum total of his contributions, with a broken hand accounting for most of his missed matches.

Balotelli was brought to Genoa by Alberto Gilardino - only for the manager to be sacked just weeks later. His successor, Patrick Vieira, was less enthusiastic about the striker, despite having played together at Inter Milan and spending some time together at Nice.

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Vieira side-lined Balotelli, leading to a somewhat veiled message on social media from the Italian. Sharing a photo of himself in the Genoa changing room, he wrote: "Someone around here would deserve to see not a mature Mario, but the rebellious 16-year-old Mario, maybe then they'd understand what it really means to disrespect someone like this."

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