Chelsea flop Alexandre Pato is set to become the latest European footballer in his prime to join the Chinese Super League as Tianjin Quanjian is reportedly close to completing a deal with La Liga club Villarreal for the Brazilian striker.

Pato, 27, has been in another disappointing stint with the Yellow Submarine in the Spanish top-flight this term, scoring only six goals and registering four assists in a total of 19 appearances in all competitions in half a season.

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Last season, he played only two games for the Blues, scoring zero goals, after being sent on loan by his former mother squad Corinthians in midseason.

Right now, the former AC Milan stalwart is the subject of a $19 million deal from newly-promoted CSL side Tianjin Quanjian as its manager, Fabio Cannavaro, himself a former Inter Milan, Juventus, and Real Madrid great, is said to be keen on adding him to his squad that already "boast quality with the likes of Axel Witsel", The Sun reported.

Pato was also offered an annual salary of $6.4 million, reportedly the largest contract he has received in his senior career so far.

With the arrival of the Brazilian, Cannavaro now has three non-Asian imports in his roster with Pato's compatriot Geuvânio as the third one. The Italian boss would still need one or two more as reserves in case of injuries or rests for his players. South Korean midfielder Kwon Kyung-won is the team's Asian import right now.

CSL clubs are allowed to have five foreign players in their lineup during match days. However, a recent rule amendment only permits three of them to play on the pitch at the same time for every match, one down from the previous limit of four.

Pato is in Rome at the moment to finish his medical and formalize his entrance to the squad, which will have an upcoming preseason tour in the Italian capital city before the China top-flight competitions begin in March, as per Goal.

TagsChinese Super League, Chinese Super League news, Chinese Super League News 2017, Alexandre Pato, Tianjin Quanjian