---
title: "West Ham: Mario Balotelli offered to club following release from Marseille"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/west-ham-mario-balotelli-offered-to-club-following-release-from-marseille/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Dylan Walsh"
section: "Premier League"
published: "2019-07-09T18:20:29Z"
modified: "2019-07-09T18:20:29Z"
---

# West Ham: Mario Balotelli offered to club following release from Marseille

**West Ham have been offered former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli as the club aim to replace departed striker Marko Arnautovic.**

[The Telegraph report](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/07/08/west-ham-wait-maxi-gomezs-decision-445m-move-celta-vigo/) that the Italian international, who is now a free agent after being released by Marseille as [per 90min](https://www.90min.com/posts/6376481-mario-balotelli-confirms-marseille-exit-with-farewell-message-on-instagram), has been offered to West Ham this summer as the east London club aims to find a new striker following Arnautovic’s £22.4 million departure to the Chinese Super League this week ([BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48876616)).

The 28-year-old attacker scored [eight goals in 13 games for Marseille last season](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/mario-balotelli/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/45146/plus/0?saison=2018&verein=244&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=) as the French giants signed Balotelli on a six-month contract following his termination from Nice in the January transfer window [via BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46979031).

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Verdict.png)

An explosive character in the world of football highlighted by the story that Balotelli once set off fireworks in his bathroom during his spell at Man City as [per the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/oct/22/mario-balotelli-house-fire-fireworks), the striker has shown, though, that when it comes to scoring goals he can be a reliable attacker.

In his last full season at a club, Nice in the 2017/18 season, Balotelli asserted himself as one of the top strikers in France as the former Liverpool man hit [26 goals in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/mario-balotelli/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/45146/plus/0?saison=2017&verein=417&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=), winning his spot back in the Italian national team as [per ESPN](https://www.espn.com/soccer/italy/story/3503550/mario-balotelli-recalled-to-italy-squad-for-first-time-since-2014-world-cup).

Of course, signing Balotelli brings along problems off the pitch with the striker recently being reported to Italian police for paying a local bar owner €2,000 cash to drive a moped into the sea as [Football Italia report](https://www.football-italia.net/140499/balotelli-reported-moped-bet), but with the Hammers in need of a No.9, the former Marseille striker could be worth the punt given his previous record in a full season.

***West Ham fans, would you take Balotelli this summer? Let us know!***