Chelsea flop Pato set to join old club Internacional 13 years after quitting Brazilian side for AC Milan

ALEXANDRE PATO is "expected" to seal a return to Internacional in the coming days, reports claim.

The Brazilian burst onto the scene there in 2006, impressing at the age of just 17 as he helped them win the Club World Cup.

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And now 13 years after departing for an initially prolific spell at AC Milan, Pato looks likely to return to Porto Alegre.

The 30-year-old's contract at Sao Paulo was terminated on Wednesday, leaving him free to select his next club.

According to Brazilian outlet , Internacional expect to overcome the hurdle of the player's salary and seal his return in the coming days.

His former side will not be able to match the wages that he earned at Sao Paulo, but they feel that a deal laced with "productivity clauses" such as goal bonuses will do the trick.

One concern comes in the form of Atletico Mineiro, however, with the fellow Brazilian top flight club also said to be interested in acquiring the 27-cap former Selecao international.

Internacional manager Eduardo Coudet is chasing a new striker, especially given the injury to veteran former Bayern Munich star Paulo Guerrero, 36.

Pato's eight goals in 13 games for Internacional as a teenager convinced AC Milan to splash out around £20million for his services back in 2007, and the impressive teen scored 50 goals in his first three-and-a-half years in Serie A.

Injury problems then plagued him, however, and he was limited to just 15 appearances and one Italian top flight goal between 2011 and 2013.

He then signed for Corinthians, scoring 12 goals in 39 appearances in between loan spells at both Sao Paulo and Chelsea.

His Stamford Bridge stint was forgettable, only appearing twice as the Blues laboured to tenth in the Premier League in the 2015-16 season.

He did manage a goal, however, scoring against Aston Villa.

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Six goals in 24 appearances followed at Villarreal in 2016-17, before he signed for now defunct Chinese Super League side Tianjin Tianhai for £15m.

Pato's spell in China was prolific, as he re-found his goalscoring touch to score 36 goals in 60 games.

He then returned to Sao Paulo in March 2019, scoring nine goals in 33 games.

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