http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=809146&sec=transfers&cc=5901

Mario Balotelli's agent has suggested Chelsea may have joined the race for the Inter Milan striker.

Balotelli, 19, has been strongly linked with both Manchester United and Manchester City, with reports claiming City have seen a bid - said to be worth €30 million - rejected. Inter president Massimo Moratti has said he has no knowledge of the alleged City bid.

Agent Mino Raiola has now claimed several clubs are in the race for Balotelli and hinted that Chelsea could be among them.

"I have had contact with a few teams," he said. "The papers keep talking about Man Utd and Man City. I will keep the names of the others to myself."

Asked if Chelsea were keen, he replied: "Why not?"

Moratti, who said he believed City's interest to be real, had earlier hinted that Inter were ready to sell at the right price.

"The company's philosophy is that of not having any problems in terms of the club's balance sheet in a couple of years' time," he said. "We will do what's necessary to get to this result.

Stupid of Inter to let this talent go, but it seems he's on is way out, be it to Chelsea or not.

I think this is all grand standing to drive the price up for City. We have seen it time and time again. Throw in the names of Chelsea and United and try and squeeze out a couple of extra Million. It'll probably work too.

I think this is all grand standing to drive the price up for City. We have seen it time and time again. Throw in the names of Chelsea and United and try and squeeze out a couple of extra Million. It'll probably work too.

Doubt you'll get Mario, he's got a future.

ManC can have him. Don't care if they get him for free. He is a complete t*at and I would vomit if he came to Chelsea.

The boy has skills, but can't really controll himself yet.

I think this is all grand standing to drive the price up for City. We have seen it time and time again. Throw in the names of Chelsea and United and try and squeeze out a couple of extra Million. It'll probably work too.

Welcome.

However you'd better get used to this sort of sh*te! We had it all the time when we were the guys with the deep pockets!

Such and such a player is out of contract, possibly moving to (insert club here), but Chelsea are also interested....instantly added a fw million onto the price tag. It also adds a few million on if it is a player you are genuinely after because their agent's know you'll spend. Kinda like the reported amount of money being spent for Yaya Toure

ManC can have him. Don't care if they get him for free. He is a complete t*at and I would vomit if he came to Chelsea.

Don't beat about the bush, Moos, say what you mean :D

As a player he's in the Anelka mould,likes to come deep and dribble past players has a lethal long shot BUT....

As a fan do you want a player who:

1. Disrespects opponents

2. Disrespects the coach

3. Requires nurturing/babysitting from the squad

4. Has a temper and could implode at any moment

5. Incites fans and crys "Racism" when fans boo him.

This guy will be a handful definitely not worth risking squad harmony.

Hes a terrific talent and would love him at the bridge. Id be happy if we sign him, neymar or lukaku...either one would learn a lot from guys like Drogba and could lead our attack for the next 10 years

I have to agree with most of the replies here. Of the three really young strikers we're being linked with (aguero excluded), my order definitely goes like this:

1. Lukaku

2. Neymar

3. Balotelli

I only posted this because it's a rumor and this is a rumor forum. If he does sign, I just hope he can mature. That, or someone like Drogba or Terry is going to have to set him straight.

I have to agree with most of the replies here. Of the three really young strikers we're being linked with (aguero excluded), my order definitely goes like this:

1. Lukaku

2. Neymar

3. Balotelli

I only posted this because it's a rumor and this is a rumor forum. If he does sign, I just hope he can mature. That, or someone like Drogba or Terry is going to have to set him straight.

Balotelli seems to be the least risky of the 3, in terms of playing ability. Haven't seen much of Neymar so wont comment, Lukaku been excellent in all what ive seen however the epl is vastly different from the Belgium league, typical risk/reward scenario with him.

If we could get him with a cut-price due to his behaviours, I'd say yes. He's a really talented kid, and it's not unusual that youngsters have some problems with their attitude. Not at that scale though. I think he can improve his behaviour the older he gets.

How do you think the UK press would treat him at Chelsea? They'd bait him at every chance they got.

Don't we get enough bad press as it is?

Edited July 19, 201015 yr by Scott

As a player he's in the Anelka mould,likes to come deep and dribble past players has a lethal long shot BUT....

As a fan do you want a player who:

1. Disrespects opponents

2. Disrespects the coach

3. Requires nurturing/babysitting from the squad

4. Has a temper and could implode at any moment

5. Incites fans and crys "Racism" when fans boo him.

This guy will be a handful definitely not worth risking squad harmony.

I agree with this, balotelli always is in some sort of trouble it seems and im not sure if we could change his attitude, there is plenty of talent out there and I dont think its worth the risk to go for this player.

I addition to the problems mentioned, this guy is clearly a work in progress on the field as well. He needs to go somewhere with a proven track record of turning talent into stars, somewhere like Lyon or Werder Bremen.

If he moves this summer (as looks likely) and its the wrong move, his career will go down the crapper faster than Mel Gibson's. Similarly, if he stays at Inter it could be even worse working with Benitez.

By the way, welcome to Mr Sky Blue and Djisi. Cant believe the one thread has two non-Chelsea posters, but when other fans come here to share valuable insights in a respectful way, they should be treated with similar respect. You guys should know we can be hard on oppo fans

Edited July 19, 201015 yr by TheWestwayWonder

I would be happy if Chelsea nabbed him. He may have attitude problems, but they all seem to stem from the same thing; the racism he experiences in Italy. Now its gotten to the point where i dont even think all the people heckling him are racist they just know he gets shaken by it so they boo him. But you have to put yourself in his shoes. Hes 19 and probably the best attacking prospect italy has, yet he doesnt even get treated well at home due to all the hate he experiences. He is hot headed at times and makes some bad decisions, but his talent cannot be denied. He's not playing in a league that can cloud stats( i.e Brazilian league and Belgium league) hes doing all his work in Serie A for the best club in the league. With some guidance i think he could be a world class striker. I really would hate to see another EPL team land him.

Just my opinion.

Edited July 20, 201015 yr by Drizzy

I would be happy if Chelsea nabbed him. He may have attitude problems, but they all seem to stem from the same thing; the racism he experiences in Italy. Now its gotten to the point where i dont even think all the people heckling him are racist they just know he gets shaken by it so they boo him. But you have to put yourself in his shoes. Hes 19 and probably the best attacking prospect italy has, yet he doesnt even get treated well at home due to all the hate he experiences. He is hot headed at times and makes some bad decisions, but his talent cannot be denied. He's not playing in a league that can cloud stats( i.e Brazilian league and Belgium league) hes doing all his work in Serie A for the best club in the league. With some guidance i think he could be a world class striker. I really would hate to see another EPL team land him.

Just my opinion.

Well it's his own fault for being hated. If he would only have behaved like a normal human being non of this would have happened. Instead he chose to behave like a f*cking c*nt and because of that he is now hated. It's got nothing to do with racism or else every black player in Italy would behave like him.

And though I don't support the racism aimed at him (or anyone) now I have to say that it's not like there's much. The problem is that it's enough to boo him to be called racist.

He was awfull against Barcelona - U.C.L first leg at sansiro. Came on for Milito in the latter stages of the game, when inter badly needed to hold on to the ball this guy makes 40yards shots which is way off target..(and he complains against Inter fans .)...Terrible discipline - very untypical mourinho player, but still he manages to make 30+ appearance and a decent amount of goals and assists ( wiki says 40apps - 11goals,8 assists for 2009/10),and that says a lot about his talent.

Looks like hes perfectly built for English game - with some attitude and hardwork he could become a huge star.

I would be happy if Chelsea nabbed him. He may have attitude problems, but they all seem to stem from the same thing; the racism he experiences in Italy. Now its gotten to the point where i dont even think all the people heckling him are racist they just know he gets shaken by it so they boo him. But you have to put yourself in his shoes. Hes 19 and probably the best attacking prospect italy has, yet he doesnt even get treated well at home due to all the hate he experiences. He is hot headed at times and makes some bad decisions, but his talent cannot be denied. He's not playing in a league that can cloud stats( i.e Brazilian league and Belgium league) hes doing all his work in Serie A for the best club in the league. With some guidance i think he could be a world class striker. I really would hate to see another EPL team land him.

Just my opinion.

Fifa put i nice smiley face on the whole racism issue with the "Kick racism out of Football" campaign. I can't knock the sentament but the reality is there are some footballing nations out there, and not just in Europe, who are incredibly racist.

The three worst in Europe though are without a doubt Greece, Italy and Spain. Both Edger Davids and Clarence Seedorf have commented on numerous occasions that the further south in Italy you go the worse it gets. Monkey chants are common place and there has even been reports of mindless twats throwing Bannanas on the pitch when Black palyers are playing. The "Old Country" Sicillians are as intolarent as it gets. Palermo is supposed to be especialy awfull. Milan is in the north but even there Black faces are few and far between.

However the most sickening thing about the whole Balotelli thing is because he (quite rightly) claims Italian nationality. To see a Black man who is young and increadibly talented and has an Italian name like Mario Balotelli who claims to be Italian is too much for the neanderthals who support Serie A to accept.

The same can be said of Spain. On a slightly lesser scale but not by much. Indeed you only have to look at our own Yaya Toure. He has suffered plenty of racial abuse by the simpletons who support La Liga sides. Indeed some believe the very reason he was allowed to leave was because of Busquets being Basque and "Fitting in" better than the supior player of Yaya Toure. Ah well. Their loss is our gain :-)

I'm not for one second saying English fans are perfect. We all know some are far from it. But in matters of Ethnic diversity in our game and our views on equal rights. We are MILES ahead of those other nations.

^I agree completely. To say other black players arent heckled in italy is a joke. They go after Mario the most because his citizenship is with Italy and some ignorant people do not want to be associated with him. It's quite sad really. I think he is just very misunderstood and really needs a change of scenery.

^I agree completely. To say other black players arent heckled in italy is a joke. They go after Mario the most because his citizenship is with Italy and some ignorant people do not want to be associated with him. It's quite sad really. I think he is just very misunderstood and really needs a change of scenery.

^^^ Yep. I reckon he could be the best Italian Centre Forward since Del Piero given the right circumstances. It looks like the deal bringing him to City is done and dusted which i am genuinely excited about.

People often get confused with the amount of strikers City have or have indeed bought over the last 2 or 3 years. Well actualy only Tevez and Adebayor are what i would class as first team strikers at City. Bojinov and Benjani have already gone. Jo, Caicedo and Santa Cruz will all be sold this summer and can be classed as failures. Robinho and Bellamy are not Strikers. They can be played as Strikers but Bellamy is a winger and Robinho is primeraly an AM who can play out wide or up front. I'd say Bellers would be 90% certain of going to Spurs and only god knows what's going on with Robinho. I reckon it will be most likely he will be used in some sort of cash plus player swap deal. So those two will probably be gone also

That leaves Ade and Tevez as our two first team strikers. Balotelli will make that 3 but don't be suprised to see us get one more. Either Dzeko or Ibrahimovic. I would prefer Dzeko.

Tevez, Dzeko, Adebayor, Balotelli - that would give us the strogest attacking options in the league imo. One of the best anywhere in football probably.

Hold on, why do you think that City have pretty much snapped up Balotelli? Do you have a source?

Edited July 20, 201015 yr by Planet Drogba

^wondering the same thing lol

His agent today said he will move to City before the weeks out. You're right perhaps i should be very wary of saying we have signed a player befor a deal is signed. But i will say i am 99.9% convinced he is ours.

He's 1/20 to join us on Skybet. Every other bookies i've seen has ceased all bets. I think it's fair to say it's a done deal.

Edited July 20, 201015 yr by MrSkyBlue

Can't help but feel someone has been spending too much time on the bluemoon forum. Let me guess - an ITK told you ?