Pato eyes move to Premier League: 'I'm ready for a new challenge'

Alexandre Pato has confirmed he is interested in a move to the Premier League after getting his confidence back in Brazil.

"Now I’m ready for a new challenge. I want to write a new story in Europe, to make a new history," he told reporters in London. "I want to come to win the championship and play again in the Champions League. I have dreams again."

The 26-year-old emerged on the European scene in 2007 with AC Milan as a skinny 18-year-old with super speed. He scored in his first game for the club - a 5-2 victory over Napoli - and got to celebrate with the likes of Kaka and Andrea Pirlo. He also realised his childhood dream of playing with Ronaldo, even for just a few months.

He won the Scudetto in 2011, but several muscle injuries slowed him down, and it reached the point where he couldn't play two games in a row without tweaking something.

So he decided to return to his native Brazil in January 2013, securing a €15-million transfer to Corinthians.

That yielded a two-year loan spell at Sao Paolo, where he put up stellar numbers this year, scoring 26 goals in 59 games. He has been injury-free for more than a year.

"That is the best season of my career. Now I feel that my body and my mental strength are both good. My confidence is back," said Pato in his first interview in English. "I know my body now, I know the work I need to do before the game and after the game. I will be much better than in the past."

He isn't afraid of the Premier League's fast and physical nature, either, as he has spoken to several Brazilians who play there - Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, and Willian - and believes he could handle the contact.

"It would be a new challenge, but it’s soccer, no? There is a ball. It is the same all over the world. Talent is a feeling that you want to play."

Whether he switches Brazil for England during the January window is down to him and his club. He is back at Corinthians, and has one year left on his contract.