Liverpool sold £50k worth of Mario Balotelli shirts on day he signed

Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre has revealed that the club sold £50,000 worth of Mario Balotelli replica shirts on the day that he signed for the club.

The Italy international was brought in by manager Brendan Rodgers in the summer following Luis Suarez's departure to Barcelona.

Ayre has revealed at today's Soccerex event in Manchester that the club collected £50,000 in Balotelli shirt sales on the day that he joined the Reds from AC Milan for a reported £16m fee.

Balotelli is expected to lead the line for Liverpool in this Saturday's match against Aston Villa.