Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura plans talks with Mario Balotelli, paving the way for the striker to put his troubled past behind him and rejoin the squad for World Cup qualifying.
According to reports, the 26-year-old Balotelli has not played for Italy since the ill-fated 2014 World Cup campaign in Brazil, where the four-time champions exited at the first hurdle for the second successive edition.
But following his unsuccessful stint at Liverpool and an ineffective loan spell at AC Milan, Balotelli has revived his flagging career at French side Nice, hitting eight league goals.
Balotelli is currently embroiled in a dispute with Ligue 1 club Bastia after claiming to have been subjected to monkey chants at the Corsicans' ground last week.
Italy are tied with Spain at the top of their 2018 World Cup qualifying group after winning three and drawing one of their first four games.
They host Albania on March 24 and are expected to fight for top spot, which offers direct qualification for Russia, when they play Spain away on September 2,
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