Rio de Janeiro, Feb 11 (IANS): Vasco da Gama have revealed they are close to signing Luis Fabiano by registering the former Brazil striker in their squad for the Rio de Janeiro state football championship.

But his availability hinges on whether he is able to rescind his contract with Tianjin Quanjian, according to the Globo newspaper, reports Xinhua.

The 36-year-old is contracted to the Chinese Super League outfit until the end of the year but is understood to have told the club's officials that he wants to return to Brazil.

A Rio de Janeiro football federation document, in which Fabiano's name appears in Vasco da Gama's squad, said the forward was still "awaiting an international transfer".

Fabiano played a vital role in helping Tianjin Quanjian earn promotion to the Chinese Super League in 2017, scoring 23 goals as the club clinched the first division title in October.

The former Sevilla star was capped 45 times for Brazil from 2003 to 2013 and scored 28 international goals.