Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is under huge pressure over his striker signings this season.
City management have already warned Mancini they will not indulge Mario Balotelli's excesses any longer, says the Sunday Mirror.
And it has not gone unnoticed at the club either that the £27million City splashed out on Edin Dzeko in the January transfer window has failed to pay off.
The 6ft 4in Bosnian has scored just four goals in 13 appearances since arriving from Wolfsburg - all of them in cup competitions - and his struggle to come to terms with the power and pace of the Premier League is now a big concern at the club.
At least Balotelli has shown glimpses of the talent that prompted Mancini to take a gamble no other coach in the world was ready to even contemplate.
But his 10 goals in 20 appearances have come at a price.
The red card Balotelli received for his moment of madness during City's Europa League exit to Dinamo Kiev on Thursday night was his second of the season.
He has also been cautioned eight times and been involved in several off-the-field indiscretions that began when he crashed his high-powered Audi R8 within days of arriving from Inter Milan.
