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Report: Mario Balotelli drawing interest from Chinese Super League

Reuters

Mario Balotelli could be the latest in a throng of players to join the riches of the Chinese Super League.

The Liverpool flop, currently on a disappointing loan spell at AC Milan, has played his final game for the Merseyside outfit, according to James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, and has attracted interest from the Far East.

The vast sums paid for the likes of Jackson Martinez, Alex Teixeira, and Ramires have alerted super agents such as Pini Zahavi and Balotelli representative Mino Raiola to seek business in a league flush with a $1.25-billion television deal, and the determination of Chinese president Xi Jingping to make the country a football powerhouse.

Balotelli received criticism from Rossoneri coach Sinisa Mihajlovic recently after he was identified as one of several players not pulling their weight in Milan following a 2-1 win over Genoa last Sunday.

"Those who don't sacrifice themselves for the team to the 94th minute will no longer set foot on the field," Mihajlovic said. "It wasn’t just Balotelli - there were another two or three as well as him. They know who I’m talking about."

The Reds' potential windfall from the sale of Balotelli to a Chinese club could be supplemented further by a sponsorship deal to rename the main stand at Anfield, the Guardian's Andy Hunter reports. Billy Hogan, chief commercial officer, is apparently looking for a 10-year commitment from a naming-rights partner worth around £7 million to £9 million a season.

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