• Premier League

Jol expresses interest in Balotelli

ESPN staff
December 14, 2012
Mario Balotelli is testing the patience of Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini © Getty Images
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Fulham manager Martin Jol says he would have no qualms about signing volatile Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli.

After seeing Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele join Tottenham in the final days of the summer transfer window, and then losing Bryan Ruiz and Mahamadou Diarra to injury, Jol is looking to boost his squad in January.

Balotelli's future remains the subject of speculation as he continues to test the patience of City boss Roberto Mancini, with a return to Italy among the suggested destinations for the 22-year-old.

Balotelli's agent recently likened his client to the Mona Lisa when predicting that interested Serie A suitors could not afford him, and Jol admits he could be priced out of a bid for the Italy international.

"He would probably cost more than the Mona Lisa but if I could get him for £7m I would be interested," Jol said.

While Jol acknowledges the need to add to his squad in January, he says he is unlikely to make wholesale changes.

"We never do much business [in January] because I feel that is a bad signal. We lost a few players two or three days before the close of the transfer window and that didn't help because I felt we were the only club in the Premier League who suffered big time.

"We picked up a few solutions but we're still building and if we can strengthen the squad then we will but not big time."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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