After rapid advancements in negotiations over recent days, Liverpool have announced the signing of Italian striker Mario Balotelli. The Italian signed a three-year deal with the Reds after a fee of £16 million was agreed between the English club and AC Milan, the side they faced in their last two Champions League finals.

Known for his unpredictable antics on and off the pitch, the transfer has naturally attracted a lot of attention and has created a huge buzz amongst supporters around Anfield. Despite having spent in excess of £100 million on eight signings beforehand, the Reds were left threadbare in the forward department after talisman Luis Suárez' exit earlier in the window. That problem may now have been solved, with Balotelli adding to the ranks of Daniel Sturridge and Rickie Lambert as Brendan Rodgers' primary striking options. 

The club are believed to have sought assurances from the Italian about his commitment, disciple and off-field behaviour, including a number of potential pay cuts should he not follow the code of conduct at the club, and the striker's new manager has insisted he will not accept any disruptive influences in what was a tightly-knit squad last season. 

Having being heavily linked with Wilfried Bony and Samuel Eto'o, the signing of Balotelli will come as a relief to fans of the Merseyside club who feared they may go into the 2014-15 Premier League campaign with a lack of goal threat up front but the crazy behaviour of the forward, accompanied with his obvious natural ability has fans excited.

Balotelli arrives at Anfield having initially started his career under Roberto Mancini at Inter Milan before a tenuous relationship with Jose Mourinho in his second season at the club, which led to his eventual exit. Having scored 28 goals in 86 games in all competitions at Inter, he switched to Manchester City, led by Mancini, for £16 million. Again, he came under criticism despite his memorable moments such as the "Why Always Me?" celebration in the 6-1 Manchester derby victory at Old Trafford, because of his behaviour outside of the game. Balotelli allegedly drove around with his money on his passengers seat "because he could" and was also well-known for letting off fireworks and causing a fire in his own home and also throwing darts at youth team players. However, he will be remembered on Manchester most of all for his assist for the 94th minute goal that won City the league in 2011-12. After falling in and out of favour with Mancini, Balotelli returned to Italy to play for AC Milan having scored 30 goals in 80 games for the Citizens. He got off to a good start for the rossoneri as he scored 12 in 13 games in his first season. His 2013-14 season was inconsistent, as Milan struggled to find form and they agreed to sell the talented forward to the Premier League runners-up recently, but he leaves the San Siro with an impressive 30 goals in 54 games in total.

He also has an impressive record at international level, scoring 13 goals in 33 caps, including a goal against England in the World Cup recently and a phenomenal individual performance in the Euro 2012 Semi Finals against Germany, where he scored twice. Consequently, Balotelli has established himself as a powerful presence with physicality and remarkable ability to match. He also has a keen eye for goal and is highly-renowned for set-pieces, having missed only one penalty in his career. 

Balotelli has clinched several winners' medals during his career so far, which include the Champions League, three Serie A championships and an FA Cup and not to mention the Premier League he won with City.

Though critics are wary that his attitude could prove risky to the harmony of the Liverpool squad, such as former defender Gary Gillespie who believes the signing of Balotelli is a "big gamble", Rodgers believes he has a world class forward on his hands. 

"This transfer represents outstanding value for the club and I think we have done a really smart piece of business here," the boss told Liverpoolfc.com.

"There is no doubting Mario's ability; he is a world-class talent and someone who, for such a young age, has vast experience of playing at the very highest level.

"He has scored goals in the Barclays Premier League, in Italy, in the Champions League and for his country at international level.

"I believe we have the infrastructure, culture and environment to get the best out of him and help him achieve his true potential. We are a strong group here, committed to hard work and he will benefit from being around it.

"I am looking forward to working with him and helping him learn more, improve and progress as a player. I'm sure the supporters will make him feel very welcome."

Balotelli will wear the same number 45 shirt that he wore at City and Milan and said in his first interview with the club: "I'm very happy. We've been talking about coming here and now I'm happy to be here.

"Liverpool are one of the best teams here in England and the football is very good here. It's a great team with young players, and that's why I came here."

The 24-year-old was pictured practicing alone at Liverpool's Melwood training ground earlier on Monday ahead of his move, whilst the rest of the first team travelled to the Etihad Stadium to take on his former team, Premier League champions Manchester City. He will look the squad from the directors box at his old home ground, and will be in contention to feature away at Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday.