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When Adriano Galliani, the chief executive of AC Milan, sold Mario Balotelli to Liverpool for �16m, he told friends it had �felt like winning the lottery�. Balotelli�s agent Mino Raiola had done a number on Liverpool, telling them that he could get the Italian forward out of Milan on the cheap. In their desperation to replace Luis Suarez, they fell for it. In return, Raiola�s pockets were lined and Liverpool are even understood to have added the five per cent (�800,000) solidarity fee, which is paid to his former clubs, as part of the package.