Report: Brescia set to terminate Balotelli's contract

Mario Balotelli's brief spell at his hometown club Brescia is set to end on a sour note.

Brescia are expected to terminate Balotelli's contract less than one year after he made the surprise decision to join the Serie A club, according to Sky Sport Italia, as translated by Reuters.

It's understood Brescia decided to cut ties with the 29-year-old after he failed to return to training ahead of the team's first match since the Serie A season was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

His absence from training resulted in an argument with Brescia president Massimo Cellino, who publicly questioned Balotelli's commitment to the club last week.

Brescia manager Diego Lopez claimed that Balotelli's behavior and absences have not been well received by the rest of the team upon their return to training.

"He had a lot to give, but had to do more, much more," Lopez told the Corriere della Sera newspaper, as translated by Football Italia.

"He trained alone because his teammates chose to follow another path. He didn’t even show up on Zoom during the quarantine."

The Italian forward reportedly refused the club's offer for a consensual termination before Brescia notified his lawyer that his contract - which was set to expire in 2022 - had ended.

The former Manchester City and Inter Milan star only managed to score five goals in 19 appearances for a Brescia side that sits last in the league with 12 games remaining.

Brescia will resume their Serie A campaign against Fiorentina on June 22.