Last updated at 12:34 29 August 2007
The Premier League's
Brazilian recruitment drive
stepped up another gear
last night as Manchester
City and West Ham joined
Chelsea in trying to sign a
superstar.
On a day when Chelsea
captain John Terry urged
his employers to take
Ronaldinho from Barcelona,
Manchester City were preparing to see off competition from West
Ham with a £12million bid for
Inter Milan's Adriano.
Sportsmail revealed that City
were weighing up a loan deal for
the 25-year-old powerhouse, and
West Ham yesterday sent a
delegation to Milan to discuss a
similar deal.
But City boss Sven Goran
Eriksson, who held talks with
Adriano's representatives
yesterday, is aware the player
does not want to go on loan and
City are trying to stretch their
budget to pull off what would be
a remarkable coup at wages of
around £70,000 a week.
Adriano has been at Inter for
four seasons and has scored 43
goals in 99 games. However, his love of the good life is
alleged to have affected
his performances and
Inter have decided to
cut their losses.
The Brazilian said: "I
don't want to go out on
loan again. I've already
been at Parma, and at
that time it was right for
my career but now I
really must leave for
good and that's that."
Barcelona, however,
have told Chelsea they
will have to double the
world record transfer
fee and pay £85m if they
want Ronaldinho.
But Terry expressed the
enthusiasm of the
Chelsea dressing room
yesterday when he said
the 27-year-old double
world player of the year
would be "a great
acquisition".
"It was exciting to hear
about it," said Terry in
reference to the
Sportsmail exclusive
that revealed last
weekend's meeting
between Chelsea owner
Roman Abramovich and
Ronaldinho's brother,
Roberto de Assis
Moreira.
"It would be a great
acquisition to get a
player of that ability.
I've seen what he's all
about and he's a very
difficult player to mark.
"It would be great for
the Premiership to get
the likes of Ronaldinho.
He was close to joining
Manchester United a
few years ago. If we can
get him it would be great
for us, for me personally,
and everyone else at
Chelsea."
Terry, who was speaking
at the King of Shaves
six-a-side tournament
in Harlington yesterday,
did warn the Brazilian
he would have to adhere
to Jose Mourinho's
strict work ethic.
"I'd like to think he could
fit into the team," he
said. "We've got wide
men going forward but
they have defensive
responsibilities as well.
We've seen at times that
Jose Mourinho has taken
Shaun Wright-Phillips or
Joe Cole off because
they've not been doing
their defensive duties.
"It takes players a
month or so to learn
that. Once you've
realised that it's about a
team and defending,
you can attack as well
and he can give us
something that not
many in the world can.
If Ronaldinho's doing it
going forward then I'm
sure the manager will
let him off a little bit."
A deal with Barcelona
needs to be agreed first
and yesterday Nou
Camp president Joan
Laporta warned it was
not going to be easy.
Laporta said: "I am
hostile to any move for
any of our top stars and
the only way in which
any club could obtain
Ronaldinho or any other
of our stars would be to
pay the full amount of
his buy-out clause."
The transfer window
closes at midnight on
Friday but Laporta and
Chelsea chief executive
Peter Kenyon will be in
Monaco tomorrow for
the Champions League
draw.
City, who are also
interested in Barcelona
midfielder Tiago Motta,
will look to raise funds
for Adriano by selling
Giorgios Samaras to
Middlesbrough for
£2.5m and Darius
Vassell to Derby for a
similar fee.
The Premier League's Brazilian numbers could be getting larger as Manchester City and West Ham joined Chelsea in trying to sign a Brazilian superstar.

Yesterday, Chelsea captain John Terry urged Roman Abramovich to buy Ronaldinho from Barcelona, while Manchester City were preparing to out-bid West Ham with a £12m bid for Inter Milan's Adriano.

On Tuesday, it was reported that Roman Abromovich had met twice with Ronaldinho's brother, Roberto de Assis Moreira, and given him a trip on his private jet and hosted him at Lanesborough Hotel in Mayfair, London. Abramovich held the second meeting with Moreira at his Knightsbridge house on Saturday morning and is understood to have put an offer to him that would make Ronaldinho the highest paid player in Europe.

Sven Goran Eriksson, who held talks with Adriano's representatives on Tuesday, is aware the player does not want to go on loan and City are trying to stretch their budget to give Adriano wages of around £70,000 a week.

Adriano said: "I don't want to go out on loan again. I've already been at Parma, and at that time it was right for my career but now I really must leave for good and that's that." 

A statement by West Ham said: "We are investigating the possibility of a loan deal at this stage."

Adriano has slipped down the pecking order at Inter and fellow Serie A side Lazio would take him depending on his attitude.