Adriano’s Chelsea link rejected
Adriano’s agent Gilmar Rinaldi has insisted that he has had no contact with Chelsea over the striker.
Chelsea were reported to have made inquiries about Inter Milan’s 22-year-old Brazilian star. Rinaldi told BBC Sport from Rio de Janeiro: “I can assure you that Chelsea have had no dealings whatsoever with either me or Adriano. “Parma and Real Madrid are interested but there’s nothing new there. Their interest has been known for some time.” Adriano has scored 14 goals in 20 Serie A appearances this season. And Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho had claimed that he was in Milan talking to Adriano on the day he is alleged to have held a clandestine meeting with Arsenal defender Ashley Cole. Mourinho said he was “just practising my Portuguese with him because I don’t need strikers”. Rinaldi told BBC Sport: “I have to say that nobody from Chelsea or any other London club has contacted me. “If they want to, that’s fine. I can tell them what the situation is. “If Chelsea are interested then they must make an offer.” Inter are reported to have slapped a price tag in the region of £40m on the head of Adriano, who joined them just over a year ago from Parma. Real Madrid view him as a natural replacement for compatriot Ronaldo. But Rinaldi said: “I cannot give you a price that Inter would accept for Adriano. That’s something that would have to be negotiated between the interested clubs.”