Liverpool look to Asia for extra funds via sponsorship and sale of Mario Balotelli
• Italian striker, now on loan at Milan, linked with Chinese Super League
• Naming rights for new stand could raise up to £90m

Posted Saturday, February 20, 2016 by theguardian.com
Mario Balotelli, on loan at Milan from Liverpool, has been linked with a move to China and Turkey.
Liverpool are hoping for financial windfalls from south-east Asia after holding talks over a main stand naming rights deal and with Mario Balotelli the latest big-name player wanted in the Chinese Super League.
Balotelli is on a season’s loan at Milan but does not feature in Jürgen Klopp’s plans at Liverpool and will be offloaded on a permanent basis this summer providing a taker can be found. The striker’s agent, Mino Raiola, has started sounding out potential suitors for the talented but troubled Italy international and clubs in China and Turkey have expressed interest.
Liverpool paid £16m to sign the 25-year-old from Milan in 2014 and he remains under contract at Anfield until 2017, with the club having an option to extend the deal by a year. That is not on the agenda following his minimal contribution under Brendan Rodgers, who ultimately froze out Balotelli from first-team training, and the accepted panic signing continues to cost Liverpool money. The club contribute to the forward’s basic £80,000 weekly wage at Milan.
The financial hit they are taking on Balotelli, however, would be softened significantly should a permanent transfer to China materialise this summer. The Chinese Super League outspent the Premier League in January and that expenditure, following a declaration by the president, Xi Jingping, that China should become a football powerhouse, has prompted agents such as Raiola and Pini Zahavi to explore further deals for the summer.
Raiola this week denied there were problems between Balotelli, Milan and Sinisa Mihajlovic after the coach indicated the striker would not play for the club again. "Those who don’t sacrifice themselves for the team to the 94th minute will no longer set foot on the field," Mihajlovic said after a 2-1 win over Genoa. "It wasn’t just Balotelli – there were another two or three as well as him. They know who I’m talking about.” The player’s agent said: "There are no difficulties at Milan for Mario."
Of more importance to Liverpool’s long-term financial future is a lucrative deal for Anfield’s new £120m main stand. Billy Hogan, Liverpool’s chief commercial officer, has been in Asia this week to negotiate with three interested companies and the club are seeking a naming-rights partner for a 10-year commitment worth £7m-9m per season.
There remains the possibility of negotiations concluding with more than that, with a sponsorship package involving other aspects of the club being agreed. Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owner, has confirmed in the past that it would consider outside investment, albeit while insisting it is not actively pursuing such a deal.
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