Balotelli moves to Nice, ending Liverpool nightmare
To see a list of completed deals in the summer window thus far, visit theScore's Premier League transfer tracker.
Mario Balotelli has finally found a new club.
The 26-year-old ended a disastrous spell at Liverpool Wednesday, sealing a permanent transfer to ambitious Ligue 1 side OGC Nice in the closing hours of the summer transfer window. He reportedly put pen to paper on a one-year contract with the south coast side.
Balotelli had just a year remaining on his Liverpool contract, although the Reds presumably wanted to shed his hefty £90,000-per-week wages.
Manager Jurgen Klopp made it clear to Balotelli that he had no future at Anfield, prompting the search for gainful employment elsewhere.
There was interest from the likes of Sampdoria and Crotone, and even Palermo tried to convince the Sicilian-born striker of a move.
But the Serie A clubs couldn't agree to a deal with Liverpool.
Nice emerged as a potential destination last week, when Liverpool granted Balotelli permission to conduct a medical in the French Riviera.
He had been training with the reserves since returning to Merseyside from an unsuccessful loan spell at AC Milan.
His departure means Liverpool recouped none of the £16-million fee it paid to initially acquire Balotelli from Milan in 2014.
The Italian scored just four goals in 28 appearances for the club.
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