He burst onto the scene in Brazil, aged 16, and then scored in the first minute of his first game in the first team. A new star was born and Brazil loves a new star.

Alexandre Pato then arrived in Europe in 2007; a dashing, trailblazing, skillful striker, playing with freedom for AC Milan, then Europe's trendiest club.

He scored on his debut, of course, and finished the season with nine goals in 18 league games – not bad for a burgeoning teenager.

Alexandre Pato, left in 2006 and right this year, could be set for a return to Europe with a Premier League club

Pato's form in Brazil earned him a move to AC Milan in 2007 where he scored more than 50 goals

Pato started well for Milan, scoring nine goals in 18 games in his first season in Serie A

Pato played for Brazil at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in 2008 when they took on Italy

Pato is challenged by Ashley Cole (left) and John Terry during a 2009 friendly between AC Milan and Chelsea

Pato was involved in the Brazil squad along with the likes of Kaka (left) and Ronaldinho (right)

Now Pato is ready to play in English football, has been offered to clubs in the Premier League and here's the surprise: he's still only 25.

Pato has been offered to a number of 'mid-level' English clubs, according to sources in Brazil. The player is said to be 'keen' to come to England and to play in 'one of the big cities'. That points towards London or Manchester, with Crystal Palace and West Ham among the teams seeking new firepower.

Pato in English means 'duck' but he is no ugly duckling.

His record with Milan boasts 51 leagues goals in 117 Serie A games – an impressive haul. The two-footed striker has scored 10 goals in 27 games for Brazil, he scored against Barcelona in the Champions League with a goal after 24 seconds and was close to joining Paris Saint-Germain at the start of their own growth as a European superpower.

At Milan, he dated the owner's daughter, Barbara Berlusconi and has recently been linked with Albanian actress and model, Almeda Abazi.

He also played for Brazil in the 2012 Olympics and scored at Old Trafford in a 3-1 win against Belarus.

Pato celebrates scoring for Brazil against Belarus at the 2012 Olympics in London

Pato scored against Real Madrid in the Champions League but left Milan to return to Brazil

Pato dated Silvio Berlusconi's daughter Barbara (left) and has been linked with Albanian model Almeda Abazi

Pato returned to Brazil to play for Corinthians after suffering a serious injury at Milan

Pato is now playing for Sao Paulo but could be set to leave the Brazilian side this summer

He hasn't played for the senior national team since 2012 but he scored twice in that game against Sweden.

A torn left thigh muscle brought his progress to an abrupt end and he left Milan to returned home to Corinthians in 2013 for £12m. He currently plays for Sao Paulo, with Corinthians still paying some of his wages.

Pato continued his run of scoring in debut matches after returning to Brazil, with a first-touch goal against Oeste.

The source told Sportsmail: 'He is a showbiz player who can score goals. He would make a very good impact in the English league and on the back pages of the newspapers.'



