Arsenal

Ex Arsenal star confirms Wenger’s interest in striker recently offered to Liverpool

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Alexandre Pato

According to reports from London Evening Standard, former Arsenal star Edu has confirmed Arsene Wenger’s interest in Corinthians striker Alexandre Pato. 

The 26-year-old is best famed in Europe for his prior spell at AC Milan, where he scored 51 goals in 117 Serie A appearances and claimed the 2009 Golden Boy award. But injuries severely impacted Pato’s final 18 months at the San Siro, paving the way for a return to Brazilian domestic football in January 2013.

The move has gone some way to reviving the South American’s career. He’s enjoyed three straight seasons of full fitness and recorded a career-best haul of 26 goals in 56 appearances during Sao Paolo’s 2015 campaign.

The 5 foot 11 striker is keen to return to European football now that his loan spell with Sao Paolo has ended, telling Radio Globo earlier this month; “Next year I won’t be playing at Sao Paulo, everybody knows that. I hope England or Spain. I do not know if I can stay with Corinthians. I just try to do as well as possible.”

Reports earlier this week revealed that he’s been offered to three Premier League clubs in a £11million deal – Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool are believed to be particularly keen, with Corinthians president Roberto de Andrade even suggesting to TuttoMercatoWeb that a deal had already been agreed ‘in principle‘.

But the latest news, courtesy of London Evening Standard, is that Arsene Wenger has confirmed his interest in Pato to former Arsenal star Edu. The retired Brazil international, who made 100 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, now works as Corinthians’ sporting director.

As quoted by LES, he said; “I wasn’t there to tout him around but if people ask about him, I’m going to answer. I talked and they asked questions—not just about him, but about a few of our players. They know them well. I had lunch with Arsene Wenger and he asked about [Pato] and about others.”

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