Graeme Souness: 'Mario Balotelli is a gamble for Liverpool'

Former Liverpool player and manager Graeme Souness has claimed that it would be an "enormous gamble" for the club to sign Mario Balotelli.

The AC Milan striker, 24, is expected to join the Reds for around £16m this week after undergoing a medical.

However, Souness is unsure whether the Italian international is the type of player that current boss Brendan Rodgers needs in his squad.

"It's an enormous gamble by Rodgers," he told The Sunday Times. "And it's a gamble I don't think he needs to take because he has a very strong group of players.

"The harmony looks good but he may find, like every previous manager of Balotelli, that he will spend more time talking about him, spending time with him and defending him than he will the rest of the group put together."

Liverpool continue their Premier League campaign on Monday when they travel to champions Manchester City.