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Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen says the return of Mario Balotelli to the Premier League will be "great fun".
The Italian striker is on the brink of sealing a £16m move to Anfield from AC Milan.
The striker has a well deserved reputation for causing problems both on and off the pitch - a situation Liverpool will want to control as best they can. It's understood that part of the on-going talks include clauses about the 24-year-old's behaviour.
Show all 18 1 /18Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Bully When a youngster asked for an autograph outside Manchester City's training ground, Balotelli demanded to know why the boy was playing truant. After the child revealed he was being bullied, Balotelli drove the boy and his mother to the school in question so he could tackle the bully himself. He demanded to see the headmaster to make him aware of the issue and then mediated between the two boys to resolve the problem. A source said: 'Mario feels strongly about bullying.'
Read the full story here.
Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Generosity After gambling at Manchester's 235 Casino, Balotelli walked away with winnings of £25,000. Feeling generous, he gave a homeless man 'with ginger dreadlocks and a beard' £1,000.
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Parking fines During his time in Manchester, Balotelli racked up £10,000 in parking fines and had his white Maserati impounded 27 times. Once he was pulled over by the police who wanted to enquire why he had £5,000 in cash on his front seat. Balotelli reorted: 'Because I am rich.'
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Bored Getty Images
Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Racism Balotelli explained prior to Euro 2012 how he would deal with racists: 'I will not accept racism at all. It's unacceptable. If someone throws a banana at me in the street, I will go to jail, because I will kill them.'
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Selfie In a pre-season friendly for AC Milan, two fans ran onto the pitch to demand a selfie with the striker. Rather than shy away like most would in such a situation, Balotelli was more than happy to oblige.
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Ironing Mario isn't a one trick pony. He can also iron, dance and read - all at the same time.
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Chicken For reasons never fully explained, Balotelli once sported a chicken hat. Thankfully it was a trend that never caught on.
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Fireworks A bright spark at the body that co-ordinates firework safety material enlisted Balotelli soon after it was reported that some had been set off in the bathroom of his Manchester mansion.
Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Why always me? The day those stories emerged, Balotelli scored for City in the Manchester derby, giving him the perfect opportunity to reveal *that* t-shirt.
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories The Queen The Queen may be wary of Balotelli's return to England. During the World Cup, he said he wanted a kiss from Her Royal Highness should Italy do England a favour by beating Costa Rica. Thankfully for everyone involved, they didn't.
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Grass During a Europa League defeat to Dynamo Kiev, Balotelli had to be substituted in the 57th minute with his face swelling up. It emerged afterwards that the Italian is allergic to some types of grass.
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Interruptions During an Inter Milan press conference to announce the appointment of Andrea Stramaccioni as interim-manager, Balotelli interrupted proceedings to say hello. He was enjoying a day-off from Manchester City at the time.
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Celebrations Balotelli's naked torso was to be one of the defining images of Euro 2012 - but he's not overly keen on celebrating goals. 'I don't celebrate goals, I'm just doing my job,' he infamously said. 'Does a postman celebrate when he delivered the mail?'
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Pranks Balotelli has always appeared to be well loved by his team-mates. Perhaps it's the pranks he plays, like this one on Edin Dzeko.
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Prison Balotelli was reportedly questioned by police in Italy when he was found taking a look around the grounds of a women's prison in Brescia. Apparently he simply fancied having a look.
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Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Mancini Balotelli's relationship with former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini was a complicated one. It has been described as a father-and-son type relationship - only the sort where they fight each other during training.
EAMONN & JAMES CLARKE
Mario Balotelli: The funniest stories Shopping Balotelli is known to enjoy a spot of shopping - however he doesn't always get what's on the list. He was reportedly sent by his mum to pick up a few household items before returning with a giant trampoline, two Vespa scooters and a Scalextric set.
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Owen, who scored 297 goals for Liverpool, sees Balotelli's reputation as a double edged sword but has backed Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers to get the best out of him - just as he did with recently departed Luis Suarez.
"Going to be great fun having Ballotelli back in The Premier League," Owen wrote on Sportlobster.com .
"There is no doubt about his talent and I'm sure Brendan Rodgers will make sure he behaves having witnessed the problems Suarez inflicted on the club.
"If that's the case, 16m looks good value."
Talks between Liverpool and Balotelli's representatives are understood to have been held yesterday over are continuing today.
Balotelli must have been registered by midday today if he were to be available to play against his former side Manchester City on Monday night.
Show all 10 1 /10The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen Radamel Falcao - Manchester United Despite missing more than six months with injury, the Colombian striker remains one of the hottest properties in Europe. Falcao had been linked with a move to Real Madrid, but Arsenal and Manchester City had been linked with a move on deadline day for the striker. Enter Manchester United, who pulled off the shock of the summer after a season-long loan was agreed in principle with a view to a permanent deal.
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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen Sami Khedira - Arsenal/Chelsea Will he, won’t he, will he, won’t he? Sami Khedira is clearly surplus to requirements at Real Madrid after the arrival of Toni Kroos but his wage demands and fee seem to be getting in the way of a resolution. He is a fantastic player and would be a major coup if he were to arrive at either London club, but this transfer will probably rumble on until deadline day
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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen Edinson Cavani - Liverpool Another striker unhappy in Ligue 1, Cavani scored 25 goals for PSG last season but is reported to be unhappy playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Paris. PSG don’t want to sell, but Brendan Rodgers is looking at the top end of the market to replace Luis Suarez and could spend big on Cavani or Falcao
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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen Mehdi Benatia - Manchester United The classy Moroccan centre-back would perfectly fit the profile as one of the back three in Louis van Gaal's system. The Roma man, believed to be available for about £30m, is very good on the ball, an excellent athlete and a fierce competitor. He is comfortable taking the ball forward and is a threat at set-pieces
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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen Arturo Vidal - Mancester United This potential transfer seems to have been rumbling on all summer but appears unlikely. Vidal is supposedly keen on a move and a midfielder of Vidal’s quality would be an upgrade over United’s current crop, but Louis van Gaal is believed to have doubts about the Chilean’s knee
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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen Petr Cech - Real Madrid/PSG Jose Mourinho wants Cech to stay in west London but the giant goalkeeper is too good to waste his away on the Chelsea bench. Real Madrid, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain seem the likeliest destinations for the 32-year-old, who is still one of the very, very best in the world
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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen Mats Hummels - Manchester United Again, this deal appeared to be dead after Jurgen Klopp said he had no intention to sell and made the World Cup hero his club captain. But rumours for the German centre-back continue to swirl and given United’s defensive woes – Tyler Blackett is not the answer – a huge bid could tempt the Bundesliga side
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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen Marco Reus - Various One of the world’s best young players, Reus is being linked with just about every major European club. Manchester United and Liverpool appear to be leading the race in England, but Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and several other clubs would be delighted with the youngster. Reus’ cheap release clause, the cause of all the speculation, doesn’t take effect until next summer, so a big bid may tempt Dortmund to sell now
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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen Victor Valdes - Liverpool The former Barcelona goalkeeper is looking for a new club as he continues his recovery from a serious knee injury that forced him out of the World Cup. Liverpool are looking for a new goalkeeper after letting go of Pepe Reina, and Valdes would certainly provide competition for No 1 Simon Mignolet should he regain full fitness.
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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen Danny Welbeck - Arsenal/Tottenham The England international is a target for a number of Premier League clubs, but Manchester United are reluctant to strengthen a potential top-four rival with his departure. As a result, any destination will have to cough up a £5m just to take him on loan, while a permanent deal could be largely inflated given his homegrown status.
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Should he miss that game, if the deal goes through he will be available for Liverpool's next match - against Tottenham next Sunday.
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