Sunderland have bid in the region of £5m to land former AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato from Brazilian outfit Corinthians, according to The Daily Mirror.
The Brazil international’s contract is due to expire in December and it has been reported the former Copa Libertadores winners are hoping to recoup some of the £12.18m they paid for the striker back in 2013, rather than allow the 25-year-old to leave on a free.
Pato, who is currently on loan at Sao Paulo, was regarded as one of the brightest talents in world football when he burst on to the scene for Milan back in 2007, but has endured an injury-plagued career and has spent the last two years back trying to rebuild his career in his homeland.
With Connor Wickham’s impending exit, Dick Advocaat is on the market for a striker and has earmarked Pato, who scored 51 goals in 117 Serie A games for Milan, as his top target.
The Sunderland manager’s interest in Pato is understandable when you consider that only Santos striker Ricardo Oliveira (8) has scored more goals in the Brazilian top-flight than Pato (7) since the turn of the year.
For more stats on Alexandre Pato, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
