Escape route offered to Mario Balotelli who could become captain of side you’ve never heard of

Don't count your chickens just yet, Liverpool fans.

While Mario Balotelli may have no place in Jurgen Klopp's plans for the future, there remains the little issue of finding a buyer who is willing to match the wages of the 'striker.' After an uninspiring loan spell at AC Milan, the Rossoneri are unlikely to want to make Balotelli's move a permanent one which begs the question - who wants Balotelli? Crotone, that's who! You've probably never heard of the team from Calabria in Southern Italy but they'll be playing in Serie A next season after being promoted to the Italian top flight for the first time in the club's history. And they want a marquee signing to go along with their first foray into life in the big leagues. Crotone president Raffaele Vrenna has explicitly made his interest in Balotelli known and claimed that he'd make the former Manchester City and Inter Milan man captain if he were to join but the issue of salary is a massive stumbling block. “If he accepts to join us, I'll give him the captain's armband,” said Vrenna. “The problem is Liverpool's salary.”