Tottenham move for Alexandre Pato in the balance as striker reveals desire to stay at Sao Paulo

Alexandre Pato would like to remain at Sao Paulo, but admits that his future remains unclear amid rumours suggesting he could be set for a move to Tottenham Hotspur before the summer transfer window closes for business on 1 September.

The 25-year-old, who boasts 27 senior international caps for Brazil, previously spent five years in Europe with AC Milan before returning to his homeland with Corinthians in 2013 and moving to Murumbi a year later. Pato has since scored 25 league goals in 18 months for Sao Paulo, with his performances for the club seeming to pique the interest of Mauricio Pochettino following his side's mediocre start to the season.

Despite Harry Kane bursting onto the scene in 2014/15 by notching an impressive 31 times in all competitions, the England forward has yet to find the net in Tottenham's opening four games. He was recently guilty of spurning a golden opportunity to secure the club's first victory of the season against Everton at White Hart Lane, as he was thwarted by visiting goalkeeper Tim Howard in the first half of a goalless draw.

The overwhelming pressure placed on Kane coupled with the sale of Roberto Soldado to Villarreal and Emmanuel Adebayor's expected exit has left Pochettino in desperate need of a new striker. New arrival Clinton Njie is currently injured and West Brom remain defiant over the future of long-term target Saido Berahino after reportedly rejecting two offers worth up to £22m ($33.8m) for a player who has handed in a transfer request.

Tottenham's ongoing pursuit of attacking reinforcements has led them to Pato, with Globo Esporte reporting that agent Giuliano Bertolucci may have flown into London in order to complete a deal. The player himself seems rather in the dark over any potential move, however, although he did express a desire to stay put for now.

"I don't know," he was quoted as saying by The Mail with regards to Tottenham's apparent interest in his services. "I don't know. I think today, tomorrow, I will find out what's going to happen. I would like to stay, but we'll see tomorrow. I have to wait and see. My desire is to stay, but it's not entirely down to me."

If Pato, who The Telegraph suggest has also been offered to the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea this month for a fee of around £11m, were to join Tottenham before the deadline, he would become Pochettino's sixth signing of the summer after Kevin Wimmer, Kieran Trippier, Toby Alderweireld and Njie. The club also recently announced the arrival of South Korea's Heung-Min Son from Bayer Leverkusen on a five-year deal subject to a work permit and international clearance.

One other potential new arrival in north London before Tuesday is Victor Wanyama. The midfielder, who is said to have informed Southampton of his desire to leave St Mary's last week, was left out of the squad for the Premier League clash against Norwich after manager Ronald Koeman declared him "not mentally and physically good enough to play" amid sustained transfer speculation.