Alexandre Pato is one of the options Barcelona are contemplating to reinforce the squad in January. The Brazilian, 26, has been watched by technical secretary Robert Fernandez and his name has been included on the list that Barcelona will draw from in search of their "Larsson style" signing in the winter window.

Albert Masnou

The club are looking at various options and Pato is one of them. He's not the only choice; there are up to 20. All have to fit the same conditions. That they are cheap, the salary is low, that they are willing to be a reserve behind the trident, and that they have experience. Pato fits the bill on all these counts.

Although many remember Pato from his AC Milan days, now he is at Sao Paulo, on loan from Corinthians. The club signed him in 2013 for €15million, the most expensive deal in their history. However Pato didn't fit the team and was loaned out, and is now scoring goals for Sao Paulo.

He has a salary of around 2.5m a year and is living a 'second youth' at his new side where he has 24 goals in 47 games. The signing of Pato would see Barcelona pay one half to Corinthians and the other to Sao Paulo.

Corinthians would be happy enough for Barcelona to sign him because it would help recoup the cost of his outlay, in the case of a future sale. His current contract expires within a season.

The option of Pato has been analysed by Luis Enrique but the coach considers that in the market there might be better options. Lucho has given his favoured names to Robert Fernandez and Pato is not among them.

However, the option is there and has not been discarded by Fernandez, who wants a full range of possibilities. The coach and the technical secretary will meet again later, during the international break, to speak in more definite terms over the targets.