Alexandre Pato has fallen off the radar in the eyes of many European football fans in recent years, but he could be about to make a sensational move to London.
The former AC Milan forward scored a stunning long-range effort for Sao Paulo at the weekend and has since been linked with West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Watch more brilliant snippets like this with fanatix’s FREE sports video news app
Pato looked set for big things when he joined Milan in 2007, but things didn’t work out, despite an impressive start at the San Siro.
His overall record with Milan shows 63 goals in 150 appearances, but those stats mask the fact that he netted just once in his final two seasons with the Serie A giants, before leaving in 2012.
Pato currently belongs to Corinthians, but is on loan at Sao Paulo, with whom he has rediscovered his goalscoring form.
At 26, he is an attractive age. And, according to the Daily Mail, West Ham are keen to give him a chance to shine in the Premier League.
The Daily Mail add that Corinthians president Roberto de Andrade is looking to offload Pato, who has 10 goals in 27 senior international appearances for Brazil to his name.
Meanwhile, the Metro have picked up on reports from Spain claiming that Spurs are set to make an offer for Pato in the coming days.
Spurs have three senior forwards on their books, but Harry Kane is the only one of the trio that is considered a traditional striker, with Clinton N’Jie and Son Heung-min more adept at playing in attacking midfield or out wide.
Pato would certainly give head coach Mauricio Pochettino an attractive alternative to Kane, who did not have a prolonged break over the summer, due to his involvement in the Under-21 European Championship, and could therefore suffer from fatigue as the season goes on.
COMMENTS