Patrick Vieira: 'Mario Balotelli still wants to leave Nice'

Patrick Vieira has said that Nice will do "whatever is possible" to ensure that Italian striker Mario Balotelli finds a new club.

The 28-year-old's future has been a talking point all summer, having been tipped to join a string of clubs in Serie A and across Europe.

Balotelli was left out of Nice's squad for Vieira's first competitive game in charge, which ended in a 1-0 loss to newly-promoted Reims on Sunday.

Speaking to Canal+ after the Ligue 1 match, Viera confirmed that Balotelli looks likely to move on following two years at the Allianz Riviera.

"The player wants to leave, so it's unlikely he'll remain here," he said. "We want players whose desire it is to go forward with the club. It's a very complicated and difficult situation, so the club will try to do whatever is possible to help him leave."

Napoli have played down talk of a move for Balotelli, who has netted 33 league goals in two years with Nice.