The former AC Milan wonderkid is available for transfer from Brazilian side Corinthians, and wants to play his football in England, the ‘No 1 championship in the world’
Although he seems to have been around forever, Alexandre Pato is still just 26 years old, and after leaving AC Milan in 2013 for Brazilian club Corinthians, the striker has slowly but steadily rediscovered his goalscoring touch.
After scoring 26 goals in 59 games for Sao Paulo on loan, Pato has been linked with a move to the Premier League in January, with English giants such as Manchester United, Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC linked with the Brazil international.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Pato confirmed his desire to play in the English Premier League one day, also revealing that he turned down the opportunity to join Chelsea FC as a teenager, opting instead to join Serie A giants AC Milan.
“Before I came to Italy, I saw in the papers that my name was mentioned in connection with some English clubs but my dream was to play with Ronaldo,” Pato said. “Chelsea were interesteda When I came to Milan, I was very young. I was playing with Ronaldo, Kaka, [Clarence] Seedorf, [Alberto] Gilardino, [Fillipo] Inzaghi. But I played.”
The 26-year-old also confirmed that he would like to play in England some day, saying: “One day I would like to come to England because I think the championship [the Premier League] is the No1 in the world.
“Now Ia m ready for a new challenge. I want to write a new story in Europe, to make a new history. I want to come to win the championship and play again in the Champions League. I have dreams again. I want to create this new story, a good new story.”
.
Pato could well move to the English Premier League in January
Given the number of Premier League sides that are on the lookout for a striker, it is not inconceivable that Alexandre Pato will join an English club in the January transfer window. Tottenham Hotspur have been chasing a striker to support Harry Kane, while Manchester United have only two recognised strikers in the squad in Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial, with the former usually employed as an attacking midfielder in recent times.
Chelsea FC, meanwhile, are reportedly considering sending Radamel Falcao back to AS Monaco in the winter window, and the Blues could be on the look-out for a striker too. A 6-month loan or a short-term deal for Pato might be tempting, but the Stamford Bridge outfit might think twice given how their attempt to ‘revive’ Falcao worked out.