Mario Balotelli's career at Liverpool is reportedly in its final days, amid claims that his contract will be mutually terminated should the Italian not complete a switch elsewhere.
According to a report in theExpress, Balotelli was left out of Liverpool's squad for theirfirst 2016-17 pre-season clash with Preston on Friday, despite reports that hehadacted professionally over the past week at the club's training base at Melwood.
The report goes on to claim that the Italian is not keen on a move to Turkish side Fenerbahce, who have been heavily linked with the 25-year-old.
Meanwhile, a move to Sampdoria is also up in the air as Liverpool look to offload their problematic forward.
Liverpool fans when they hear Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero say he wants to sign Mario Balotelli. #LFC pic.twitter.com/dMyDjzZRa3
The Express report claims thattalks between the sides have stalled as they fail to agree on the terms of the deal. Both sides are reluctant to pay for Balotelli with a loan deal looking more likely.
It is reported that the Merseyside club will accept to offload Balotelli on a temporary basis, with his deal at Anfield set to run out in a year.
The report goes on to state that should an agreement not be reached with any suitor, then both parties will look to terminate the Italian's contract with the Premier League club.
The mercurial forward hasendured a difficult time in recent years and hasnot featured on the international stage since 2014, withthe Italian havingspent last season on loan at his former club AC Milan, in which he managed a single goal in twenty appearances for theRossoneri.
With just twelve months remaining on his deal at Anfield, the termination of his contract is not out of the question, however Liverpool are confident that he could commandseek a decent figure.
Although having been signed for £16m under Brendan Rodgers just two-years ago, the enigmatic forward's stock has fallen to a new low.