Corinthians striker Alexandre Pato wants to join Chelsea.
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The former AC Milan star was left out of the Corinthians squad for a pre-season tournament in the United States, sparking speculation he could be on his way to Stamford Bridge.
Hard to believe that Pato is still only 26 years old.
Chelsea have been linked with an abundance of players throughout the January transfer window so far, with Carlos Bacca from AC Milan also an apparent target. Given the spiralling prices being forked out in the Premier League these days and Guus Hiddink crying out for a prolific(ish) out-and-out striker, £10million for the man they named after a duck doesn’t seem like a particularly hefty bill – bill… geddit? No?
Chinese second division club Tianjin Quanjian, now led by former Brazil coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, have agreed a fee worth as much as €20 million to Corinthians but have now seen two contract offers snubbed by Pato. “One day I knew I would like to come to England because I think the championship is the number one in the world. That’s good… As long as this is happening, we are not very active in doing other things”.
Earlier, Pato revealed: “I don’t think the physical part of English football would be a problem. I have spoken to Willian, Firmino, Coutinho and David Luiz before”.
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According to Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Bruce Archer of the Daily Express), Liverpool were in pole position to land the Brazilian player. You mix talent and intelligence and Brazilian players can play here.
