Mario Balotelli almost made surprise Premier League move as director admits blocking deal

Mario Balotelli has signed a short-term deal with Serie A side Genoa (Image: Getty)

Mario Balotelli's whirlwind career has taken him from Milan to Manchester, and from Merseyside to Marseille.

Former Everton sporting director Marcel Brands has now revealed that the maverick Italian striker came close to landing at Goodison Park. Back in 2019, when Balotelli was amongst the goals in Ligue 1, he is said to have been offered to the Toffees by super agent Mino Raiola.

Brands claims that Everton chief Farhad Moshiri was on board with the move, despite having only just pulled the trigger on a £27million deal for fellow striker Moise Kean. And it was left to the Dutch sporting director to pull the plug.

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Brands recounted to Algemeen Dagblad: "'Why not bring Mario Balotelli too, guys?' said Mino. That seemed to Raiola to be a great striker duo for the Premier League [Balotelli and Kean]. Both fast, skilled, strong and also complementary.

"After a while he had substantiated his story so beautifully that Moshiri also completely liked it. After the game, I went to eat something with Mino. 'You’re great, Brands', Mino said.

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"Moshiri wanted to pull out his wallet. But I was responsible for the technical policy, for the composition of the selection. The great thing was: if you told Mino the truth to his face, he could handle it very well in the end. But he was super smart. If you let go of the steering wheel for a moment, he would sail in the other direction."

Marcel Brands was Everton's sporting director between 2018 and 2021 (Image: Getty)

In the end, Everton made do without Balotelli, and Kean's spell on Merseyside turned out to be a disaster. The striker scored just two goals in 32 Premier League appearances and was shipped back to Juventus four years after he arrived.

Balotelli's career has been similarly turbulent. The 34-year-old's unique persona made him a cult figure at Manchester City, and after a brief spell at AC Milan, he returned to the Premier League in 2014 for an unsuccessful two-year stint with Liverpool.

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Though consistency has always been an issue, Balotelli's talent is undeniable, and he posted brilliant numbers at OGC Nice, Marseille and Adana Demirspor across spells at 12 different clubs since he turned professional in 2006.

Balotelli is back in Italy this season after a three-year absence, with Genoa offering him a short-term deal at the end of October. The veteran centre-forward has made two appearances since but he is yet to find the net.