RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Naturalized Chinese forward Elkeson could return to former club Botafogo following his departure from Guangzhou FC, according to Brazilian media reports.
Elkeson, who was born in Brazil, is a free agent after ending his nine-year spell in the Chinese Super League earlier this month.
According to the Globo Esporte news outlet, Botafogo have made a formal proposal to sign the 32-year-old despite the club's difficult financial position.
It added that Elkeson had shown a desire to be close to his son Pietro, who lives in Rio de Janeiro and is a Botafogo fan.
Elkeson scored 158 goals in 281 matches across all competitions during his time with Guangzhou FC and Shanghai Port.
He made his debut for China's national team in 2019 after gaining Chinese citizenship through a naturalization process.
Having begun his professional career with Vitoria in 2009, Elkeson moved to Botafogo in 2011. Playing mainly as an attacking midfielder, he scored 19 goals in 71 appearances for the Rio outfit before joining Guangzhou in 2013.
Botafogo earned promotion to Brazil's top flight last month, having been relegated for only the third time in their history in 2020. Enditem
