Mario Balotelli's contract set to be terminated by Brescia

Serie A outfit Brescia are set to terminate Mario Balotelli’s contract after the striker failed to return to training ahead of Serie A’s restart this month, Italian media reported on Saturday.

Balotelli, 29, signed a three-year contract with his hometown club last year after they earned promotion to the top flight .

Balotelli has been unsettled for much of his career and has played for  Internazionale, ManchesterCity, Milan, Liverpool, Nice and Marseille.

Sky Sports reported that Balotelli was involved in a row with the Brescia president, Massimo Cellino, after the striker did not return to training when Covid-19 restrictions were eased in the country.

The report said Balotelli was offered a mutual termination, which he refused, and the club then sent a letter to his lawyer saying his contract would be ended.

Balotelli has scored five league goals in 19 appearances this season for a struggling Brescia side who are bottom of the league – nine points from the safety zone with 12 games left.

Serie A was suspended on 9 March due to the coronavirus pandemic and is due to resume on 20 June.

In May, Balotelli was told to train on his own after failing a series of physical tests to which he had been subjected, and the situation escalated day after day.

The 29-year-old has been absent from the team's training sessions in the last few days and has sent the club a medical certificate proving he is suffering from gastroenteritis.

The matter is expected to be resolved by an independent arbitration panel with the player set to submit a claim of wrongful termination