Sao Paulo forward Alexandre Pato could be on his way back to Italy to play in Serie A according to his agent Riccardo Napolitano despite talk linking the 26-year-old striker with a possible move to the English Premiership.
Pato has seen his career resurrected since leaving AC Milan to return to his native Brazil in 2013, first with Corinthians (who own the majority share of him) before joining Sao Paulo where he has shown glimpses of why he was once one of the world’s hottest prospects.
Still in his prime and now fully recovered from injury it appears as if he is prepared to give it a second go in Europe when his loan spell is up in January, with a move to Italy now looking the most likely.
“Alexandre is back and determined to establish himself as one of the best strikers in the world,” Pato’s agent Riccardo Napolitano told Calciomercato on Friday.
“We’re evaluating several options for him, he’s a striker admired by many, and he’s completely overcome the muscular problems he suffered in the past few years.
“In Italy there are at least two or three teams among the possible destinations, but of course we can’t say any more. The only thing that is certain is that Pato will be the undoubted star of the winter transfer market.”
While his agent speaks of Italian clubs Pato was linked with Arsenal, but now sources at the Emirates have told ESPN FC the Gunners are unlikely to pursue a move for the Brazilian.
Meanwhile both Tottenham and Liverpool were also linked, but with Liverpool players seemingly scoring at will for new manager Jürgen Klopp the urgency to bring in a new striker is no longer there.
As for Spurs their main desire is to sign West Brom and England striker Saido Berahino with Pato being looked upon as a second option should they fail to get the strike partner for Harry Kane that they really want.
What this means is Pato is most likely to return to a league he already knows, and with an asking price of just £11 million he is within reach of most of the top Serie A teams.
