Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has said that he refuses to get into a war of words with AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi.
The Italian international has long been linked with a move to the Rossoneri, the club he supported as a boy, but the chances of that happening seem to be slim after Berlusconi labelled the former Inter player as a "rotten apple".
Despite the claims made by the former prime minister of Italy, Balotelli is not prepared to get into a heated exchange with Berlusconi, according to his representative Mino Raiola.
"I talked with Mario and he was sorry to hear the words of Berlusconi," Raiola told Mediaset.
"But Balotelli has asked me to be quiet because he appreciates that he is loved by the president at City.
"I know him well and he has a big heart. Berlusconi is free to have any opinion he wants, but it seems strange that he wishes to pass judgement on a person he doesn't know anything about."
Balotelli joined City from Inter Milan in 2010.
