Chelsea flop Alexandre Pato set for return to football aged 33 on short-term £8,000-a-week contract
ALEXANDRE PATO is set for a shock return to football on just £8,000 per week, according to reports.
The Brazilian striker, 33, had a brief loan spell at Chelsea in 2016 but flopped miserably making just two appearances.
He was most recently with Orlando City in the MLS but suffered a horror knee injury last September and was released.
However, he has been going through rehab at Sao Paulo’s training ground.
And UOL Esporte now state the club are in negotiations over offering Pato a short-term contract.
The deal would run until the end of 2023 and be worth just £8,000 per week – a low figure even in the Brazilian Serie A.
It is said the free agent is expected to put pen to paper within the next two to three weeks for a thrid stint at the club.
Pato was on loan at Sao Paulo in 2014 and 2015 then spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons at the Morumbi following his return from China.
The UOL report adds that 27-cap international Pato is ‘very excited’ about his latest comeback.
He has already been a good example to the young players previously and is keen from them to learn from the mistakes he made earlier in his career.
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Pato is also a versatile option for a struggling Sao Paulo side – he can play in midfield, in the No10 role, alongside fellow striker Jonathan Calleri or as the lone centre-forward.
Sao Paulo want to get the former AC Milan man tied down, too.
After helping him get back to full fitness, they do not want to see him join a Serie A rival.
Pato started out at Internacional but made a name for himself in his six years at the San Siro with Milan, scoring 63 goals in 150 games to earn a place in the Rossoneri’s hall of fame.
However, it did not work out at Stamford Bridge.
He joined on loan from Corinthians at the end of January 2016 but did not make his debut until April, scoring a penalty against Aston Villa.
The striker featured against Swansea a week later but sat out of the other 18 Chelsea matches during his time under Guus Hiddink.