Revealed: The reason why Mario Balotelli was BLOCKED from joining Everton emerges… as Farhad Moshiri was ready to ‘pull out his wallet’ to land ex-Liverpool striker

Former Everton sporting director Marcel Brands has revealed that Mario Balotelli once came close to joining the club.

Balotelli, one of the game’s great love or hate characters, has played for 14 clubs, including Man City, Liverpool, Inter and AC Milan.

And Brands has now spoken about how there was almost a 15th, with Everton chief Farhad Moshiri ready to ‘pull out his wallet’ to land the striker back in 2019.

Balotelli, now playing for Genoa, is said to have been offered to the Toffees by super agent Mino Raiola.

Brands, currently president of PSV, recounted to Algemeen Dagblad: ‘why not bring Mario Balotelli too, guys?’ said Mino. 

‘That seemed to Raiola to be a great striker duo for the Premier League (Balotelli and Moise Kean). Both fast, skilled, strong and also complementary.

‘After a while he had substantiated his story so beautifully that Moshiri also completely liked it. After the game, I went to eat something with Mino. ‘You’re great, Brands’, Mino said.

‘Moshiri wanted to pull out his wallet. But I was responsible for the technical policy, for the composition of the selection. 

‘The great thing was: if you told Mino the truth to his face, he could handle it very well in the end. But he was super smart. If you let go of the steering wheel for a moment, he would sail in the other direction.’ 

Marcel Brands rejected the idea despite Farhad Moshiri being prepared to pull out his wallet

Ultimately Balotelli remained in France before returning to Italy while Kean managed just two goals in 32 appearances for the Toffees.

Raiola, one of the most influential agents in football who represented the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Erling Haaland, died aged 54 in 2022.