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Alexandre Pato set to join Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian from Villarreal

Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato is set to join Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian just six months after signing for Villarreal.

The former AC Milan and Chelsea striker reportedly underwent a medical in Rome on Saturday and was pictured in a Tianjin shirt in Spanish sports daily Marca.

He is likely to be unveiled by the Chinese club this week after club officials return to work following the Lunar New Year holiday.

Tianjin, who won China's second division last season, have been looking for a top-line striker and have been linked with big money moves for Chelsea's Diego Costa and Monaco's Radamel Falcao as coach Fabio Cannavaro seeks to make an impact in the top flight.

Pato is expected to pen a three-year contract with the club, where he will join Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel, who signed earlier in the transfer window from Zenit St Petersburg, as one of the club's five permitted foreign players.

The 2017 Chinese Super League season will kick off on March 7, with its transfer window closing on Feb. 28.