Chelsea FC Transfer Rumours: Alexandre Pato At Stamford Bridge, Fuels Speculation
![By Jan S0L0 (Pato) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F8349e7efce399e4c7f8dbebbcdfc18f59a568a848862b27f99068848aab2e05d.jpg "By Jan S0L0 (Pato) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons")
In-demand striker Alexandre Pato was at Stamford Bridge the other day, fueling speculation that a move to Chelsea FC is imminent.
Pato was in West London to take in the Blues’ comfortable 2-0 victory over Porto, with his presence kicking the transfer rumour mill into overdrive. Chelsea are reportedly in the market for a striker in January and the former AC Milan man is high on the list of targets.
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Jose Mourinho’s side have been struggling in front of goal as former star forward Diego Costa has lost his killer instinct. With rumours suggesting that Radamel Falcao will be on his way out before the end of January, the arrival of a player like Pato is increasingly realistic.
Chelsea’s current struggles leave them in 14th position in the Premier League table, a whopping 14 points off the all-important fourth spot and Champions League qualification.
While the Blues defence was the cause of most troubles throughout the first few months of the campaign, issues in that area of the field seemed to have been adequately resolved. The factor holding the club back at the moment has been an inability to take their chances in front of goal.
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Unfortunately, the driving force behind this impotency has been Diego Costa. The striker has been woeful and seems to have forgotten how to play in the role. His lack of confidence was laid bare during Wednesday’s game, when the Spanish international choked on three relatively easy one-on-one opportunities.
Mourinho has been reluctant to use Loic Remy, while Falcao’s injuries have rendered him consistently unavailable. Furthermore, the latter is thought to be on the verge of a loan termination after failing to turn himself around on the back of his last embarrassing campaign for Manchester United.
Consequently, the Blues could well be shopping around next month and Pato is a player who would fit the bill appropriately.
The 26-year-old is currently under contract with Brazilian outfit Corinthians, although he has spent the last two campaigns on loan with Sao Paulo. After scoring an impressive 63 goals in 150 competitive appearances over six seasons with AC Milan, the Brazil native netted 26 times last season.
While he may not have truly fulfilled his potential so far, at such a tender age the best could easily be yet to come. Furthermore, given that Chelsea will be dealing with a non-European club, they should be able to avoid paying the premium that is usually added to any transfer deal in the so-called big leagues.
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However, it remains to be seen whether these stories regarding a January Blues shake-up have any grounding. Only time will tell, I guess.