Jurgen Klopp is a no nonsense manager, and he does not beat around the bush. The Liverpool gaffer, on the same lines, has spoken to striker Mario Balotelli, stating it openly to look for another club.
Such news does not come as a surprise. The Italian never got going for the Reds after the then manager Brendan Rodgers signed him for 16 million in 2014, and since then, Balotelli has never been able to score goals consistently in the league. In his one season for Liverpool, he scored four goals overall, and was loaned out to AC Milan in 2015, where he failed yet again, with three goals in 23 matches.
The controversial striker, who has always bagged the headlines for all the wrong reasons, returned to Liverpool pre-season training. The German manager sent a clear message to the striker by not picking him in their first pre-season friendly against Tranmere Rovers. It must have been loud and clear that he was no longer in Klopp's plans for the future.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss has a number of strikers in the club, and Balotelli is not one of Klopp's choice to lead Liverpool's line. Daniel Sturridge, Danny Ings and Divock Origi are three strikers, who Klopp will look to use most in the EPL.
"I have spoken to him about this. He's not at the stage of his career where he should be battling with four or five other players for one or two positions ... so it's clear we need a solution. There will be a club around who would be happy to have the new Mario Balotelli. I have spoken clearly to the player about that," The Guardian quoted Klopp as saying.
Even if Balotelli would have been in decent form, Klopp might not have risked the player, as he does not fit the bill. The German wants all his players to give their 100 percent, playing a high-pressing game, and defending is not Balotelli's forte at all.
Besides Balotelli, Christian Benteke, another of Rodgers' expensive signing, is set to be sold, with number of suitors already lining up including Crystal Palace for his signature.
