Alexandre Pato: Chelsea move a 'dream' claims Corinthians striker as he flies in to seal loan deal

Alexandre Pato has confirmed his imminent move to Chelsea and declared it "his dream" to play at Stamford Bridge. The Brazilian striker flew into London's Heathrow Airport on 27 January in order to put the finishing touches on a loan switch from Corinthians, which is set to last until the end of the 2015/16 season.

That initial six-month deal is believed to include the option for the defending Premier League champions to sign Pato on a full-time basis during the summer should he impress under Guus Hiddink, who has been eager to boost his attacking options with Radamel Falcao still sidelined with a serious thigh injury and Loic Remy doing little to impress as back-up to Diego Costa amid rumours over a possible exit.

"I'm so happy," the 26-year-old told Sky Sports upon his arrival in the United Kingdom."It is my dream to play here. Chelsea is my new home and I thank Chelsea for their support and thank you to my fans on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for following me. "I need to play. I don't know what else to say because I am just so happy to be here. I want to get to know my new team-mates and the players here and I really want to play for Chelsea."

Former Internacional forward Pato's previous experience of European football came with a five-year stint at AC Milan between 2007-12, where he won one solitary Serie A title alongside the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Thiago Silva. He returned to his homeland with Corinthians in 2013, although has often struggled to replicate his best form and later featured more frequently on loan at Sao Paolo.

By joining Chelsea, Pato will finally put a stop to the barrage of speculation that has linked him with a number of Premier League heavyweights over recent years.

Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United have all been credited with an interest in the player on numerous occasions during previous windows, while Corinthians president Roberto de Andrade revealed earlier in January that the 27-cap Brazil international had rejected a lucrative move to Chinese second-tier club Tianjin Quanjian.

With just the formalities of the loan left to complete, an announcement from both clubs should be forthcoming over the coming days and comfortably in advance of the transfer deadline at 23.00 GMT on 1 February.

Chelsea can already boast four Brazilian-born players in Diego Costa, Willian, Oscar and Kenedy, although Ramires has now left west London after joining Jiangsu Suning on 27 January for a reported £25m fee just three months after signing a new four-year deal.