Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted that some players are worth taking a risk on ahead of Mario Balotelli's impending move to Anfield.

The controversial Italian is reportedly due to undergo a medical with the Reds today after a £16m fee was agreed with AC Milan.

While Rodgers refused to discuss Balotelli specifically, the Northern Irishman suggested that the striker is worth recruiting after some claimed that the 24-year-old's temperamental behaviour could prove to be detrimental to Liverpool.

"Sometimes you have to take a risk with people, but a lot of the time if you take that risk you get a reward for it," Rodgers said in this afternoon's press conference.

"It's not easy finding new players as there's a small pool of players we could actually buy, but a lot of good work is going on. We're not plucking players out of the sky. A lot of hard work goes into finding and speaking to these players."

Should the transfer go through, Balotelli will become Liverpool's ninth signing of the summer following the departure of Luis Suarez.