On Friday night rumours began circulating that Liverpool had agreed a fee with Brazilian club Corinthians for the services of striker Alex Pato, but while many publications threw their weight behind the rumour, there had been no official confirmation from any source.
Then on Saturday, a Brazilian football agent by the name of Beetto Saad looked to have broken the news as he took to his twitter page to claim that Liverpool have indeed bought the former AC Milan forward.
Pato vendido para o Liverpool
€ 15 milhões!!!
— Beetto Saad (@beettosaad) January 9, 2016
That translates to:
Duck has been sold to Liverpool for €15m.
Saad however is not the agent of Pato, which sparked confusion for many, including us here at Balls.ie, so we wanted to look into what has officially been stated so far.
After Corinthians made it very clear that they no longer wanted him at the club, despite his excellent form on loan to Sao Paulo, Pato has indeed been searching for a new club.
SEE ALSO: Alex Pato Has Been Absolutely Hung Out To Dry By Club President's Scathing Comments
While he has been linked to every big club in England, and some smaller ones too, nothing official has emerged other than this quote from the player himself claiming that he likes Premier League football:
I like the emotion in the English league. You look at the TV and you see the stadium and the fans. I remember that when we played Arsenal, they were very strong and very fast. My special thing is my speed. I’m fast. I think that’s good because the football here is very quick.
I don’t think the physical part of English football would be a problem. When you get the ball, you need to be ready. The defenders here are very tough but I like that. I have spoken to Willian, Firmino, Coutinho and David Luiz before.
It looked last week like Pato had agreed to play in China next season, but the Corinthians club president explained to ESPN that the player rejected the offer:
The offer he had to go to China is a deal I've never seen. If they came to buy an industry in here in Brazil it would not be with an offer so big.
He didn't see himself in a country like China. The decision to stay or leave is not in the club's hands.
Then came the Liverpool news. The first to report it were TuttoMercatoWeb, an Italian news outlet, and then British publications The Express, and The Independent, followed that notion.
While nothing has been confirmed, there seems to be a bit more to this than the standard transfer rumour, so keep an eye out for news in the coming days.
Were he to sign, one big concern for Liverpool fans will no doubt be the striker's history with injuries, but he has enjoyed a large amount of playing time in recent months, so perhaps those days are behind him. Klopp will certainly be hoping so, as the thought of more injuries at Anfield will no doubt make him dizzy.
Have a look at Pato's highlights from this season and let us know if you think this would be a good deal or not.
