Paper Round: Mario Balotelli could be sold in January

Balotelli fighting for Liverpool future: Mario Balotelli has two months to prove he has a future at Liverpool as his lack of goals threatens his Anfield career - or, as the Mirror puts it, just 68 days. Most papers have the story that the Italian is on borrowed time after Brendan Rodgers admitted if the player doesn't shape up in the coming months he may be forced to cut his losses and offload the £16 million man in the January transfer window. Any money made from a sale will go towards a more reliable goalscorer. "I’ll be working with the players we have and he is one of them. Not just improving him but improving all the players. And we’ll see come January what the team needs,” Rodgers said.

Paper Round's view: At least we are now talking about Balotelli leaving because of his failings on the pitch, rather than for swapping a shirt with an opposition player at half-time, which seemed to be the case 24 hours ago. One goal in almost 700 minutes of football simply isn't a good enough return on a £16m investment and it comes as no surprise to hear Rodgers' admission. That Balotelli's recent off-field dramas (including a police investigation into 'threatening' behaviour after his car was photographed in Wythenshawe) may have precipitated this discussion may actually benefit Liverpool in the long run. Either he bucks his ideas up or he goes - either way, at least he won't be allowed to drag his heels much further.

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Liverpool eye Abate: Meanwhile, Liverpool are keeping tabs on AC Milan full-back Ignazio Abate as a potential replacement for Glen Johnson, reports the Daily Mirror. Johnson is not expected to renew his contract, which expires in June, and Rodgers has already identified a replacement for the right-back position. Abate is also out of contract this summer and will be available for free if he cannot agree an extension with the Serie A side, but the Italy international could even move in January for a cut-price.

Paper Round's view: Abate, at 27, could well be a decent buy for Liverpool. He's a experienced international, with some 20 caps to his name, at a good age and given his penchant for marauding down the right, would be a perfect for the equally attack-minded Johnson. Milan could be big losers in this, especially if he is allowed to leave on a Bosman.

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Six Premier League clubs watch Germany winger: Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Newcastle all had scouts at Bayer Leverkusen's Champions League win over Zenit this week to watch Karim Bellarabi. The Sun reports that the 24-year-old is something of a late bloomer, but his recent form has helped the Bundesliga side climb to the top of their Champions League group, attracting interest from some of England's biggest clubs in the process.

Paper Round's view: Bellarabi has gone somewhat under the radar until recently but, like any player who quickly rises to prominence, is bound to attract attention from some big clubs. That the report claims six of the biggest in the Premier League have had him watched is remarkable, and testament to his talent. However, at least half of those clubs need another tricky winger like a hole in the head, so don't be surprised if some fall by the wayside.

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Sir Alex the movie in pipeline: Sir Alex Ferguson's biography is set to be turned into a film, according to The Sun. The paper reports that the idea is the brainchild of former New York Cosmos and USA star Werner Roth, who has been in touch with co-author David Meek, who co-wrote the 2011 book ‘Sir Alex Ferguson — The Official Manchester United Story Of 25 Years At The Top’ with broadcast journalist Tom Tyrrell. Roth is currently looking for backing for the idea, which remains in its early stages.

Paper Round's view: Given the success of the book and United's global appeal, it's rather inevitable that this idea has been put forward. Now the question turns to, who will play Ferguson? Answers on a postcard please.

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Mascot challenges fans to fight: The day's most bizarre story comes in The Sun, with a report of a club's giant seagull mascot being accused of swearing at home fans and challenging them to a fight. Torquay United's Gilbert the Gull allegedly used bad language and threatening gestures towards supporters during the weekend's game against Grimsby. An investigation by Torquay chief executive Andrew Candy and cleared the mascot to resume duties at Plainmoor, but he was banned from the Popside home stand to avoid further "aggro" with die-hard fans. One supporter told said: "We all thought he was having a laugh, but then he called us a bunch of "c***s and c**ks" and after a few words exchanged he waddled off back to the Family Stand."

Paper Round's view: There are no further words needed.

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