Former Newcastle and Marseille fullback Habib Beye has questioned Nice's deal for Mario Balotelli.

Nice fans are excited over their swoop for the Liverpool striker, but Beye isn't so sure.

He told Canal+: "Everything depends on how one is positioned with this player. This is someone who is able to frighten Ligue 1 in terms of his potential. But I analyse football. The reality, at the professional level, is that he's scored very few goals.

"We are told of the arrival of a world star in Ligue 1. But when you look closely, he works in flashes. If someone tells me that Balotelli is among the 10 best strikers in the world, I laugh in his face!

"People easily criticize Edinson Cavani, but he guarantees more than 30 goals each season. To recruit Balotelli by OGC Nice, I'm skeptical. But, maybe he will prove everyone wrong.

"But do not forget he has scored only two goals in the last two seasons ... For me, it's a gamble. We lose Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mario Balotelli is recovered. These are two high-profile players. Except that one had 50 goals last season, the other only two ..."