Given how Radamel Falcao’s time at Stamford Bridge has turned out, many would have expected Chelsea’s days of gambling on once-great South Americans to be over.
But, according to reports from Brazil, that’s not the case, with the Premier League champions closing in on a £10m deal to sign Alexandre Pato from Corinthians.
ESPN Brazil claimed on Thursday that a deal was close for the former Milan striker, and a report from Friday’s Globo Esporte adds further fuel to the fire, quoting Corinthians coach Tite Bacchi.
“Maybe in two or three days, you journalists will have an answer about Pato,” Bacchi said. ” A response from me won’t be needed.”
AC Milan looked to have launched the career of football’s next superstar when a young Pato exploded onto the scene in Serie A a few years ago, only for a string of injuries to hamper his development. Eventually, Pato made the move back to his native Brazil, where he has recently enjoyed an injury-free run.
As for Falcao, it appears he won’t be leaving Chelsea any time soon, either.
The Colombian had been lined-up to return to Monaco for the second half of the season, only for another injury to derail the move.
The Ligue 1 club’s vice-president, Vadim Vasilyev, confirmed that Falcao would not be rejoining them when speaking to RMC Sport.
“It’s true that we’ve talked about Falcao on numerous occasions.
“The original idea was that he would return to Monaco to play the second half of the season. He came over and had a medical. Unfortunately, he was injured.
“So we took the decision that it would be better for him to stay with Chelsea. Could he return one day? I won’t close the door, that door remains open.”
