Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has revealed his admiration for Internazionale striker Adriano.
 
Adriano is one of world football's brightest talents and his stock has increased this season with stellar displays for Inter.
 
Mourinho has been aware of the powerful Brazilian's talents for some time and has monitored his progress during loan spells at Parma and Fiorentina.
 
Adriano has progressed at a rate of knots this term, scoring goals almost at will in Serie A and the UEFA Champions League, and his performances have caught the eye of some major players.
 
Inter are most unlikely to enter into negotiations for the sale of their prized asset, but Mourinho has laid the foundations by revealing his admiration for Adriano.
 
"I watched Adriano several years ago at the Toulon Tournament and, as all eyes were on him, his name stayed in my mind," Mourinho told the Daily Star.
 
"It seems obvious that Adriano is the striker for the coming years, because of his technical ability, his almost super-human physical capacity and his aggressive and competitive mentality.
 
"Adriano will be the great striker of world football."
 
Real Madrid have been linked with adding Adriano to their list of Galacticos, and the 22-year-old has admitted that he wants to play in Spain at some stage in his career, but even the Liga titans may struggle to match the Stamford Bridge giants' buying power if Roman Abramovich backs his manager's views in the transfer market.

Prêté par Liverpool en début de saison, Anthony Le Tallec s'apprête à résilier son contrat avec Saint-Etienne, jeudi. Peu utilisé par Elie Baup, le champion du monde des moins de 18 ans (2001) devrait discuter de son avenir avec Rafael Benitez, coach des Reds.
 
Anthony Le Tallec, qui a disputé six matches en championnat et marqué un but, était depuis barré par Lamine Sakho, fraîchement arrivé de l'OM. L'attaquant qui n'avait guère eu plus de réussite la saison passée outre-manche (13 matches de Premier League/0 but), va retrouver Liverpool. Mais pour combien de temps ? Benitez pourrait, en effet, choisir de le prêter en Angleterre.

Plus que la piste Roque Santa Cruz, plutôt fantaisiste, le Losc, toujours en quête d'un attaquant susceptible de renforcer son effectif, pourrait jeter son dévolu sur le Portugais Helder Postiga. Peu utilisé cette saison par Victor Fernandez, sous le maillot du FC Porto, cet international âgé de 23 ans avait évolué, sans grande réussite, la saison dernière à Tottenham.

Interrogé mardi au sujet des rumeurs de plus en plus persistantes, venues d'Espagne, qui envoient l'attaquant nerazzuri, Adriano, sous les couleurs du Real Madrid, le président de l'Inter Milan, Giacinto Facchetti, a repoussé toute éventualité de départ de la star brésilienne: Si jai parlé au président Perez? Oui, avant Noël, mais juste pour s'échanger nos voeux. Il a fait une plaisanterie sur Adriano mais je n'y ai pas accordé d'importance et je lui ai dit de le laisser tranquille. Adriano est un superbe champion et beaucoup de clubs rêvent de l'avoir. mais la réalité est qu'il est joueur de l'Inter et qu'il le restera pour longtemps."

Manchester's United's scouting network has brought a nine-year-old Brazilian to the attentions of the Old Trafford giants.
 
The Red Devils and European Champions Porto have sent scouts to assess the qualities of Jean Carlo Chera, known as Anderson, and it is being claimed that contact has been made with the youngster's parents.
 
Anderson is being groomed for stardom by Sport Association of Parana and their president Adolson Batista Prado has confirmed the European vultures are circling.
 
"This child has created fascination," said Prado. "Everyone that sees him play can't believe what they see."
 
The youngster, as many would expect, is tall and strong for his age and competes regularly against players four years older than him.
 
It is most unlikely that the youngster will be prised away from South America at such a tender age, but United boss Sir Alex Ferguson (pictured) could attempt to engineer a deal whereby they secure first refusal on Anderson if he does fulfil his potential.