Mario Balotelli is reportedly set to take a major step down in his footballing career with a move to a team in the Spanish third division.
Balotelli is remembered as one of the Premier League‘s great characters after his spells with Manchester City and Liverpool, garnering headlines both on and off the pitch.
He won the top prize in English football with City, assisting Sergio Aguero‘s iconic injury time winner against Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the season.
The 34-year-old joined Serie A side Genoa in October but is set to be released this summer after making just six appearances for the club, according to The Sun.
Balotelli’s agents are understood to be in talks with Real Murcia, who will be playing their football in the third tier of Spanish football next season after falling short in the play-offs for promotion.
The team, based in the south-east corner of Spain, have opened talks with the Italian, who won 36 caps for his country.
Mario Balotelli is set to leave Genoa and move down to the third tier of Spanish football
The 34-year-old joined Serie A side Genoa in October but is set to be released this summer
The report states that Murcia president Felipe Moreno held a meeting with Balotelli’s advisors in Madrid recently and went on to discuss the potential signing with sporting director Asier Goiria.
Another round of talks is believed to have been scheduled with the transfer coming closer to fruition.
Real Murcia play in front of a 31,000-capacity crowd at the Estadio Nueva Condomina and will be pushing for promotion again next season.
They finished second in the Primera Federacion Group 2 before a crushing defeat to Gimnastic de Tarragona in the play-off semi-finals.