Alexandre Pato
Alexandre PatoReuters

Arsenal have reportedly had an €8million (£6.6m) bid for Alexandre Pato rejected by Corinthians.

The former AC Milan forward has recently been strongly linked with a January move back to Europe with either Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur. And, according to both the Mirror and the Express, the Gunners have moved first in the race for the Brazil international.

However, the reports claim the north London outfit's initial bid around £6.6m has been knocked back by Corinthians, and the FIFA Club World Cup champions are understood to be holding out for a fee close to £10m. It would now be interesting to see if Arsene Wenger would return with an improved offer for the 24-year-old.

Arsenal are short on numbers up front, with Olivier Giroud being the only recognised senior striker in their ranks, other than the out-of-favour Nicklas Bendtner. With winning the Premier League very much a possibility this time, Wenger now wants to provide an able back-up for Giroud for the second half of the season.

The French tactician has been linked with a January move for a host of forwards, with Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata being the most recent name in the list. However, with the reported bid for Pato, it now seems the Brazilian is on top of Wenger's shortlist.

Pato joined Corinthians from Milan back in January for €15m (£12.2m), following a string of injuries which stopped him from featuring prominently for the Serie A side. The striker scored nine goals from 29 appearances (16 starts) in the Brasileirao this year but has fallen out with the club's supporters, who have constantly booed him of late.

Tottenham had reportedly failed with a £12m bid for Pato back in the summer and could revive their interest in him, amid their struggle for goals from open-play this season. The player's agent Gilmar Veloz had recently admitted a winter transfer for the forward is a possibility.

"Everything is possible. We would just need to speak with Corinthians and ask them," he said.