Mario Balotelli to join 12th different club as third tier side gamble on ex-Man City maverick

Mario Balotelli is considering an offer to join a third-division Spanish side after being released by Turkish club Adana Demirspor.

Balotelli left the Turkish club in the summer transfer window and is yet to find a new employer. The 34-year-old striker has lived a journeyman lifestyle throughout his tumultuous career, moving all around Europe, from Italy to Turkey, via England, France and Switzerland.

He scored seven goals in 16 games in the Turkish Super Lig last season during his second stint with Adana Demirspor which was hindered by a knee injury. But the club decided not to renew his terms, allowing him to join the market as a free agent once again.

And it seems that after Lumezzane, Inter Milan, City, AC Milan, Liverpool, Nice, Marseille, Brescia, Monza, Sion and Adana, he could join CF Intercity – a club based in Alicante in Spain. The third-tier side plays inside a stadium which holds a maximum of 2,000 fans and would represent quite the dip in standard for Balotelli, who has 36 caps for Italy.

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However, AS reports that negotiations are going well and Balotelli is giving serious consideration to the offer. That is despite Intercity not being able to register him until the transfer window opens again in January.

The report adds that Intercity are currently being floated on the stock market, suggesting that the signing of Balotelli could be a ploy to boost the share price. Intercity were only formed in 2017 in a takeover of GCD Sant Joan d'Alacant and have been in the third tier since 2022 following three promotions. They sit 15th in the table with six points from their opening six matches in the Primera Federacion – Group 2.

The potential move comes after Balotelli was offered the chance to join Brazilian side Corinthians in July. At the time, academy director Claudinei Alves stated: "Corinthians are prepared to offer him a two-year contract.

"The [Corinthians] president is the one who is leading talks. He wants three million euros per year and a two-year contract. Balotelli's intention is to return to play for the Italian national team." Balotelli has not played for Italy since 2018 and any return to the international set-up appears very unlikely.

Last year he stated: "I want to recover and play for the national team. I always hope for the call. I met [Luciano] Spalletti and I've met him several times. We made some jokes when we met in a friendly with Napoli, but I have no relationship."

His time in Turkey was relatively incident-free by Balotelli’s standards, although he was involved in a serious car accident in Italy back in November which left his Audi in tatters. However, his time at Sion in Switzerland was much different, with several off-pitch controversies, including a ban for branding the Swiss league "corrupt" and being dropped for partying late into the night before a game.

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