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I NEVER wanted 'rotten apple' Mario Balotelli claims AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi
LIVERPOOL striker Mario Balotelli has been labelled as a 'rotten apple' by AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi, who claims he never wanted to sign him.
Balotelli joined the Reds in a £16million deal, but has struggled to hit the ground running.
Milan have been also-rans in Serie A over the past couple of seasons, but Berlusconi is convinced they can reach the Champions League final in 2016, which will be held at the San Siro, without Balotelli.
"I remember he was bought against my advice," Berlusconi told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"We have many champions: [Jeremy] Menez, [Keisuke] Honda, [Stephan] El Shaarawy, [Fernando] Torres, [Nigel] De Jong...
"The base is there. And we no longer have a rotten apple in the dressing room."
Mario Balotelli Player Profile
The base is there. And we no longer have a rotten apple in the dressing room
Despite selling Balotelli, Berlusconi believes Milan have the foundations in place to dominate Europe again.
He added: "Our goal is to return to Europe. We want to build a winning side.
"I think there are cycles in football, with years of success, then breaks, then back to winning. But the fans should rest assured - the team is already competitive and we'll soon be leaders in Europe again.
"The 2016 Champions League final is in Milan. Why shouldn't we dream of being there?"
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