Chelsea lead to race to sign Brazil wonderkid Pato

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Striker Pato will star in the Under-20 World Cup next month - even though he is one of the youngest players in the competition at 17.

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In demand: Chelsea and Milan want Pato

Some of Europe's top clubs will send their scouts to keep tabs on the Internacional ace.

But, according to reports in The Sun, Pato's agent Gilmar Veloz has revealed European Champions Milan and the Blues are already leading the race for his signature.

Veloz said: "There are possibilities and official interest that is not invented.

"The club know about everything. Internacional allowed a representative from Milan - Leonardo (scout) - to look at him.

"Chelsea also sent a person who was interested. But nothing is certain.

"Internacional have the federative rights to the player and they are taking care of it with us."

If Chelsea do strike a deal for the £18million-rated starlet, Veloz believes they may have to wait to get their man.

Pato would struggle to get a work permit and that could be a stumbling block in any move.

Veloz added: "Nothing will be done without the agreement of the club so the Internacional fans can be calm because Pato has contract with the club until 2009.

"But because he is not 18 yet, he cannot leave before January 2008."

Chelsea's sporting director Frank Arnesen has a history of bringing Brazilian stars to Europe.

He took a 17-year-old Ronaldo to PSV Eindhoven for £4million in 1994.

And Arnesen hopes he can produce similar results with the capture of Pato this summer.