Zanetti would love Balotelli return

Inter Milan captain Javier Zanetti admits the club would welcome Mario Balotelli back.

Balotelli departed the Nerazzurri in August 2010 and, after a tricky start to life with Manchester City, has now become an important first-team player for the Premier League side.

The 21-year-old striker has regularly been linked with a return to Inter and Zanetti admits it would be good to have him back.

"The club is working for the January market and I'm sure important players will arrive ," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"(Mario) Balotelli? If one day he returned to Inter, the group would welcome him back, we did not have any problem with Mario."

Inter have made a terrible start to the Serie A season and Claudio Ranieri's side currently sit 17th in the Italian top flight.

Zanetti also hinted that he would like Carlos Tevez to join the club, with Inter short of a top class striker since Samuel Eto'o departed for Russia.

He said: "Eto'o? He made a painful choice, but now we have to think to score points.

"Tevez? He is having problems with his club, but we speak of a great champion."