Manchester: Mario Balotelli’s agent is confident that the striker will not be leaving Manchester City in the next transfer window, following Roberto Mancini's hints that he may be sold.
The Italian manager came away frustrated after the loss to Arsenal on Sunday as his striker received a second yellow card late in the game to heap more misery onto their recent form. City are now eight points adrift of rivals and league leaders Manchester United following their 1-0 loss to Arsenal in a match that left the striker's future uncertain after his sending off.
The temperamental 21-year-old has been inconsistent this season, despite netting 19 goals for the club in all competitions, and the player's representative stated that he was confident the Italian would remain in Manchester next season.
"In England, only tabloids write about Balotelli and I use them to clean my car," Mino Raiola told Sky Italia.
"People expect always a lot from Mario, so everything he does is amplified. Mario wants to do well for Mancini, who is a big friend of Balotelli. Mancini says Balotelli will be sold this summer? I don’t think so. I will talk to the club and Mancini."
He also expressed his belief that Balotelli's actions in the match were not intentional, apologising for his behaviour after a dangerous tackle on Arsenal's Alex Song.
"I spoke with Balotelli and he was very sorry for what happened today," Raiola said. "I didn’t see the incident but like Mancini said, things can happen. I don’t want to discuss the chance that Balotelli can leave the Premier League. If Mario wanted to leave, he didn’t need to do it like this but simply to ask the club."
Mancini has confirmed that he does not plan to use Balotelli again this season, and with the striker also facing a three-match ban - having been sent off once already this term - for his second bookable offence against Arsenal, Raiola admits his client's campaign may be over.
He added: "Mario will receive a big suspension after this red card."
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