Alexandre Pato to join Chelsea on loan, confirms agent

After some back and forth regarding finances and contract terms, it seems that Alexandre Pato will be a Blue - at least for the next six months. Speaking to SporTV, Pato agent Gilmar Veloz confirmed that the player is heading to England to seal his loan transfer to Chelsea.

Pato will be travelling to England by the end of Tuesday in a 11:50pm flight (9:50 pm in London) after solving some issues regarding his visa. Chelsea is expected to pay the entirety of the R$ 800,000 per month (approximately £137,000) in wages from his Corinthians contract.

His loan contract includes a release clause in case Chelsea want to sign Pato on a permanent basis. Pato's parent club Corinthians will also extend his contract for another year. His current deal ends by the end of the current year, and Corinthians don't want to risk losing the player on a free transfer.

Chelsea won't announce the deal until Pato arrives in England but given the confirmation from Veloz, unless something unexpected happens in the meantime, the former Milan player will play at Stamford Bridge until the end of the season. Having seen his performances in Brazil through the last season, it's hard not to be skeptical about his chances of making it in England, but maybe he can step up to the challenge and prove everyone wrong. Thankfully, it's only a loan, in case he doesn't exceed the less than lofty expectations.