Mario Balotelli Suffers Racial Abuse on Twitter after Post about Man United's Defeat at Leicester City [Read More]

Police are investigating racist abuse targeted at Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli on Twitter.

In a statement Merseyside Police said: 'We can confirm officers are looking into offensive comments made on Twitter about Mario Balotelli earlier today.'

Asked if they were launching an investigation, a Merseyside Police spokesman said 'yes, we are', adding: 'As far as I am aware there have been no complaints but we have been made aware of it by a number of press inquiries.' 

  The abuse was triggered by Balotelli's reaction to Manchester United's shock defeat to Leicester. 

Balotelli, part of the Reds side which lost 3-1 at West Ham on Saturday, tweeted: 'Man Utd...LOL' in response to United's 5-3 loss at the King Power Stadium.

His tweet was met by a string of racist messages, including one from an account called @CraigSainsbury which read: 'F*** you Mario you f****** n*****. Got eat some bananas and get ebola you dirty monkey.'

The account from which the tweet was sent subsequently appeared to have been closed.

Balotelli has been singled out for racist abuse in the past.

He was heckled by Italy supporters during a pre-World Cup training camp in May and was on the receiving end of numerous instances of racist abuse during his time at Inter Milan and, more recently, AC Milan.

Balotelli spoke about the abuse directed at him in an interview with GQ magazine in July.

'They aren't used to seeing people who are different, not white, who act not as rebels but normally,' he said.