Galliani: “Balotelli to Milan 99.5% impossible”

MARIO BALOTELLI is moving closer to Milan as yesterday his move was 99.99% impossible.

Milan seem to be working on a deal that would bring Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli to Milan this January and Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani is dropping hints that progress has already been made.

Reports in Italy suggest that Milan have made a €20 million bid for Balo which will be paid in six installments. Galliani is happy with how the team is currently doing but will certainly not rule out Balotelli.

Highlights: Atalanta 0-1 Milan
Atalanta-Milan: Official line-ups

“We’re doing well. We’re the best team in the last 14 games,” Galliani said. “On one hand, it’s great to see how well we’re doing, on the other hand, there’s the bitterness for how we started. If we could restart the campaign from now, we’d get a Champions League spot for sure but as things are we’re 6pts from Europe.

“That’s still the objective though.  We have a good team and we’re on an average of 80 points a year. But we’re still behind the other teams and the problem with that is that you can’t afford to lose. We had a tough period at the start but this team can play with anyone in Serie A,” added Uncle Fester after Milan’s victory over Atalanta in Bergamo which saw them leapfrogging Fiorentina all the way to the fifth Serie A place.

“Mario Balotelli? Yesterday there was a 99,9% chance of him not joining Milan. Today, there’s a 99,5% chance that he’ll not join us. Cristian Zaccardo’s arrival was linked to the departure of Francesco Acerbi. We didn’t make any money by sending him to Genoa as we got the other half of Kevin Constant’s signing.

“Zapata is a formidable player. But we’re also seeing some good French players coming to the fore. I’m happy for Flamini. He has good legs and when you come back from the injury that he had, it takes a year to get back to top shape. We have to keep on going like this. It’s a nice battle between the front pairing of Giampaolo Pazzini and Stephan El Shaarawy and that of Napoli’s Edinson Cavani and Marek Hamsik. Five weeks ago it would have been unthinkable to imagine the team where we are now. I think we’re doing even better now than when we had much more resources to call on. The market is closed until tomorrow.”

Galliani is usually quiet when there are actual negotiations going on but it seems that the talks are real as Mino Raiola is expected to meet Manchester City in the next days to speak about the troublemaker. In addition, according to the Twitter account of the journalist Ivan Zazzaroni, Roberto Mancini has admitted for the first time that Balotelli can move. It’s unlikely that Milan will be able to take him on a loan deal.

“Balotelli? I won’t think about him because he is a Manchester City player. If he arrives here, then I’ll consider how to approach him,” Massimiliano Allegri said after the Atalanta win. “Obviously, I wouldn’t say no… We are setting up a good, disciplined group and that is important in a difficult League like Serie A.”

Balotelli would be a very interesting addition to the team as he could set Milan’s along for the next few years with El Shaarawy, Niang and Riccardo Saponara. There are 4 more days before the market closes.