Suarez could replace Balotelli if Liverpool miss top four

Luis Suarez may be tempted to join Man City in the summer

With the news of Mario Balotelli's departure back to Italy, Christian Crowther takes a look at who the champions could get in as a late replacement...

The news of Mario Balotelli's imminent arrival at AC Milan has created a sense of national mourning from English football fans and media alike.

But while others are left contemplating a Balotelli-less future with heavy hearts, Mario's surrogate father, Roberto Mancini, will be scanning the transfer landscape for another son to adopt.

If reports are to be believed, Manchester City's near-bottomless coffers will be boosted to the tune of around 20 million from the sale of the eccentric striker.

However, time is clearly ticking for them to flex their financial muscle and replace Balotelli during this window. If Mancini has been lining someone up all along then the Italian has done an exceptional job to keep it on the down low.

Of course the calibre of replacements would have to be extremely high and the two names which have been linked the heaviest certainly fit into that bracket.

However, to prise either Edinson Cavani or Radamel Falcao away from their clubs at this stage may prove a difficult task in the little time remaining in the window.

Napoli's top scorer Cavani is involved in a title push in Italy, just three points behind Juventus at present and rated at 4.67/2 for the scudetto, so a move now would be highly unlikely.

Likewise, Falcao's team Atletico have the chance of making history by finishing above city rivals Real for the first time since 1995/96 and, at the very least, look like making the Champions League for the first time since 2009/10.

As well as the race against time, Man City do not have the lure of Champions League football to attract these big players this season either, making a summer transfer by far the most likely scenario.

Another player on the radar and much closer to home is Liverpool's Luis Suarez. Again, there is virtually no chance of tempting the Uruguayan away before the deadline, though even Steven Gerrard has recently alluded that the striker deserves Champions League football.

At this point, Liverpool look big outsiders to make the top-four spots - available at around 9.417/2 - before their trip to the Emirates on Wednesday night.

If the Reds fail to make it, a Suarez move could be a real possibility.