You'll have plenty to celebrate when you subscribe to the Liverpool FC newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Sampdoria are prepared to offer Mario Balotelli a way out of Liverpool this summer, according to the Italian club’s president.

Balotelli is expected to be allowed to leave Anfield after a disappointing debut season on Merseyside. The striker has started just eight league games since his £16m move from AC Milan, and has failed to convince manager Brendan Rodgers of his long-term worth.

A return to Italy looks the likeliest outcome in the summer, and Samp president Massimo Ferrero says the Serie A club would be keen to bring him back to his home country.

He told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I would take him -- he’d be the real Balotelli again here. He wouldn’t have too much pressure here in Genoa.”

Ferrero did claim, however, that Balotelli’s hefty wages - he earns around £100,000 at present - had become a problem for the 24-year-old.

He said: “He’s lost his hunger. He’s earning too much. If he was only on bread and water, he’d be a champion again.”

Balotelli has not been involved in any of Liverpool’s last three games due to illness and injury, and is a doubt for Sunday’s FA Cup semi final with Aston Villa at Wembley.

Here's who LFC fans want to keep or sell this summer: