Report: Mario Balotelli Offered Exit Route, Return to Italy After Racial Abuse at Nice

Balotelli was subjected to racial abuse and was carded by a referee for registering a complaint about it.

Mario Balotelli could be on his way out of Nice with Italian giants Inter and AC Milan ready to battle it out for the ex-Liverpool striker after recent racial abuse has left Balotteli fuming at the French Football Association.

The Nice striker, who was shown a yellow card for complaining to the referee about racist chants during Nice's 3-2 defeat at Dijon, will reportedly (via The Sun) be given an escape route out of the French league by both of his former clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan.

Balotelli, who has scored an impressive 20 goals for Nice this season, was booked by referee Nicolas Rainville who has since been informed by the Representative Council of Black Associations in France that they intend to sue him due to his actions. 

Rainville maintains that he didn't hear any abuse from the fans, the French league have since announced that they are investigating the situation but that it remains unlikely that any findings will be announced until mid-March, and until that time the yellow card will stay on the Italian's file meaning he could be suspended if he picks up more cautions - something Balotell's all to familiar with.

In the aftermath of the events it seems the two Milan based Italian giants are ready to take a gamble on the former Manchester City striker, as they prepare to table a bid to bring the Italian back to the San Siro.

Balotelli, who was the first black Italian to play for the Italian National team when he made his debut back in, started his career at Inter before joining up with manager Roberto Mancini at Manchester City in 2010 he would go on to play for the other San Siro club, AC Milan, in 2013 and again a year later while on loan from Liverpool.

Despite his struggles at Liverpool, scoring just one Premier League goal, he signed for Nice on deadline day in 2016 on a free transfer and has since re-kindled his career as the 27-year old striker has found the back of the net with relative ease since settling into life on the coast of France.

It seems his good form hasn't gone unnoticed as Juventus were linked with bringing the striker back to Italy in January and now both Milan clubs are linked with the Italian striker too - and although the circumstances aren't what Balotelli would've wanted it to be, his time in France may be at an end.