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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers gave this cheeky answer in his press briefing today when asked about Mario Balotelli's expected £16m transfer to the club from AC Milan:
" I can categorically tell you...that I can't speak about it."
Rodgers was of course referring to his memorable comment when asked about the controversial Italian striker this summer, when he said after Liverpool's pre-season friendly win over Balotelli's Milan in America when asked if the Reds would make a bid for him.
"I can categorically tell you Mario Balotelli will not be at Liverpool."
Rodgers, it seems, has had a change of heart - the player has flown to England to complete the move. It will not be finalised in time for him to play against former team Manchester City, however.
Mario Balotelli is close to a £16m move to Liverpool (Getty) For Balotelli to feature in Monday's match he would have had to be registered by 12 noon today.
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.
Click here for the full story. GETTY IMAGES
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.'
Click here for the full story. Getty Images
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.'
Getty
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.
Twitter/@NA_B52
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.
Click here to watch. INSTAGRAM
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.
Getty Images; Sky News
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.
GETTY IMAGES
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.
TWITTER
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.
Getty Images
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.
Click here to watch.
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?'
Reuters
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.
Click here to watch.
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.
Click here for the full story. GETTY IMAGES
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.
EPA
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.
Click here for the full story. GETTY IMAGES
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.'
Click here for the full story. Getty Images
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.'
Getty
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.
Twitter/@NA_B52
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.
Click here to watch. INSTAGRAM
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.
Getty Images; Sky News
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.
GETTY IMAGES
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.
TWITTER
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.
Getty Images
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.
Click here to watch.
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?'
Reuters
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.
Click here to watch.
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.
Click here for the full story. GETTY IMAGES
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.
EPA
The 24-year-old scored 30 goals in 80 appearances in all competitions for City between 2010 and 2013, winning the Premier League title with the club in 2012.
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