Mario Balotelli could be set for a surprise Liverpool return

It looks as though Mario Balotelli will be back at Anfield next season, but perhaps not for the reasons he might have hoped.

The on-loan striker has struggled to make an impact at AC Milan, and is not expected that the Italian club have any interest in making the 25-year-old's move permanent. Balotelli has played just 10 times for Milan (three starts and seven sub appearances), scoring twice, and CalcioMercato claim Rossoneri boss Sinisa Mihajlovic has made his mind up to let the player leave at the end of the season. The forward has suffered injury troubles since making the loan move in August, but managed 45 minutes in the weekend's draw with Udinese. Balotelli still has one year remaining on his Liverpool contract after this season, though it is unclear whether or not Jurgen Klopp sees him as part of the club's long-term future. Liverpool are desperately short of strikers, though it's hard to see how a player of Balotelli's questionable work ethic would fit into the German's high-pressing, high-energy game plan. And the striker's reputation has been damaged to such an extent that it's hard to imagine any of the clubs that might be able to afford his lofty wages wanting to add him to their books. So get ready for another summer of Mario Balotelli transfer speculation. It's nice to have something to look forward to. If our opinion is worth anything we predict Super Mario will be causing havoc in China soon enough.