Jean-Pierre Rivere: 'Mario Balotelli likely to leave Nice'

Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere has admitted that Mario Balotelli is likely to leave the French club at the end of the season.

Balotelli has scored 39 goals in 58 appearances for Nice over the last two seasons, but the 27-year-old will be out of contract this summer, and is expected to move on.

Rivere has conceded that "it will be difficult to keep" the Italian, who has scored 22 times in 30 matches for Nice during the 2017-18 campaign.

"It will be difficult to keep him. He has had two good seasons with us and has matured between the first and second. He's a player who certainly wants to move on," Rivere told reporters.

"The probability is more towards a departure than him staying, but we've not opened talks with Mario or his agent yet."

Balotelli joined Nice on a free transfer in the summer of 2016 following a disappointing spell with Liverpool.