Genoa agree deal to sign Mario Balotelli - Fabrizio Romano

Tom Weber

Updated: 26 Oct 2024 18:25 BST
3 min read

Genoa are set to officially complete the signing of Mario Balotelli shortly, according to Fabrizio Romano.

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The Italian cult hero has a new club after four months of free agency. Balotelli left Adana Demirspor for a second time in the summer and has been without an employer since July.

Now, however, 'Super Mario' is set to finally return to Serie A. Though it has been known for some time that Genoa were in talks to sign him, there was no guarantee that the deal would be completed due to the club's poor start to the season threatening the job of Alberto Gilardino.

The head coach was the one pushing the most to sign his former Italy teammate and not only has Gilardino survived but the deal is now set to be wrapped up, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Genoa sign Balotelli

The Italian transfer expert reports that Balotelli has been waiting for 20 days to get the green light to complete his move, with Genoa taking their time to decide whether or not to proceed.

The Serie A struggles are in need of new ownership after the collapse of 777 Partners and club bosses need to be frugal with their spending at present. Balotelli, however, has agreed to join a massively reduced salary, reportedly only earning €200,000-€300,000 for the duration of his contract, which is valid until July.

The 34-year-old has not played in Serie A in several years, but the eccentric striker recently insisted that he could still 'fu**ing smash' the league during an argument with a Twitch streamer.

The former Liverpool and Man City forward will face a tough job keeping Genoa in the top flight of Italian football. The country's oldest club are currently 18th in the standings.