Brendan Rodgers refused to disucss Mario Balotelli's imminent move to Liverpool, but insisted the club would not compromise their “extensive code of conduct.”

“Every club will have a code of conduct. We have a fantastic environment and a great culture. Nothing will ever shake that.

”People who know me well will tell you I look to try and develop the player and the person,” Rodgers said, speaking before the Premier League match against champions City on Monday. “Thankfully we have that culture here. I’ve shown before that as long as players care and want to learn, we can give them the opportunity to develop.

“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. 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.”

Rodgers stated earlier in August that Liverpool would "categorically" not sign Balotelli.