Mario Balotelli given 24-hour deadline to accept ideal move or risk seeing Liverpool misery continue

Palermo have reportedly given Liverpool forward Mario Balotelli 24 hours to make his mind up on their contract offer and accept a move to the club.

The 26-year-old has a chance to join the Rosanero on loan and return to the place of his birth to try and get his career on track as his opportunities continue to diminish.

However, the biggest stumbling block in negotiations is his wage demands, with the Serie A outfit raising their proposal to pay €1m of his €5.8m salary per year, with Liverpool paying the rest, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The pink paper goes on to add that the offer will only be in place for 24 hours as Palermo need an answer to ensure that they aren’t left empty-handed when the transfer deadline passes.

Davide Ballardini is also targeting Diego Falcinelli, but with the Sassuolo striker attracting interest from elsewhere too, they are keen to avoid a situation in which they miss out on both of their top attacking targets.

It appears as though the move would make sense for Balotelli, as he evidently doesn’t have a future at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp.

Instead of sitting on the sidelines for the rest of the season, he needs to secure a move away from the club to play regular football, and the opportunity to become a focal point at Palermo could be the kind of setting that gets the best out of him.

Having failed to impress AC Milan enough last season to warrant a permanent return to the San Siro, the Italian international will be desperate to put his injury woes and disciplinary issues behind him and get back to playing at the level that many believe he is still capable of reaching.