MARIO BALOTELLI has been thrown a stunning career lifeline after claiming he’s Italy’s “strongest striker.”
The former Manchester City and Liverpool ace, 33, has endured a mixed career at the top level.
He is currently on a second spell with Turkish side Adana Demirspor.
But FootMercato claims Balotelli is set to be released this month after making just five appearances.
And the hitman is now hoping to seal a return to Serie A as he eyes a shock recall to the Italian national side.
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Relegation candidates Udinese, Salernitana and Empoli are all considering taking a gamble on Balotelli.
The player himself is certainly confident of doing a job as he looks to resettle in his homeland.
In November, Balotelli declared himself to be Italy’s best attacker.
And he hopes that a move back to Serie A will see him add to his 36 caps, the last of which came in 2018.
Balotelli, who has 14 goals for Italy, said: “If I’m well, I still consider myself the strongest.
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“Did Raspadori and Scamacca play against Ukraine? How many shots did they take combined? Two?
“I want to recover and play for the national team. I always hope for the call.
“I’ve met Spalletti several times, we made some jokes when we met in a friendly with Napoli, but I have no relationship.”
Balotelli has certainly enjoyed a lively career in football.
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He burst onto the scene as a teenage prodigy with Inter Milan, helping them win the Treble in 2010.
Balotelli then played a huge role in City’s first-ever Premier League title win two years later.
And he went on to become an important player at AC Milan.
But things went south when Balotelli returned to England in 2014 with Liverpool.
He netted just one league goal at Anfield.
And Balotelli, whose travels ended up taking him to clubs like Nice, Marseille and Monza, called former boss Brendan Rodgers the “worst coach I ever had.”
He added: “Rodgers was number one as far as training sessions were concerned. But as a person he was a disaster.”
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