Chelsea face block on Tevez chase

CHELSEA have been warned they will be wasting their time with a bid for Argentina superstar Carlos Tevez.

The Premiership champions have been linked with a big money move for player who belongs to Brazilian champions Corinthians.

Chelsea have not commented on the speculation, but it would not be a surprise if Mourinho made a striker a priority signing in the close season, and Tevez is one of the world's best.

Kia Joorachian, president of the Media Sports Investment group, who are partners in Corinthians, made a statement in a bid to play down the rumours he was in talks to sell the club's star asset to a European team.

Joorachian said: "I have no intention of discussing the transfer of this player. Tevez is one of the best players in the world and it is normal that there is interest from other clubs."

Tevez, 22, earned a glowing reputation as a free-scoring teenager with Buenos Aires club Boca Juniors before shooting to world fame as the player of the tournament at the Olympic Games in 2004.

Corinthians paid Boca €18.6 million for him and he helped them to the Brazilian title and was named player of the year in his first season with the club.

Tevez is currently out with a knee injury from which he is expected to recover in the next 10 days.

He is not a doubt for Argentina's World Cup squad and an impressive tournament in Germany could tempt other clubs into the market.

Brazilian reports suggested it would take 87m to persuade Joorachian to let Tevez leave the wealthy Sao Paulo club to play in Europe.

Chelsea have also been linked again with AC Milan's Andriy Shevchenko and Juventus frontman Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Meanwhile, Chris Coleman has vowed his relegation-threatened Fulham side will "get right into the faces" of Chelsea in Sunday's west London derby.

"We will have to be brave, go into it with belief and give Chelsea a run for their money," the Welshman declared.

"We will get into their faces and if we get anything we will be back on track."

Fulham could be without defender Zat Knight against their neighbours this weekend. The centre-back battled on for much of the second half at Anfield with a hamstring injury which forced him off with 20 minutes left.

Coleman, however, remains defiant. He insisted: "I go into every game believing we can do well, that is my arrogance.

"We never approach a game thinking we can not do it.

"It is pointless coming into hard games looking for points and not going for it and we have had a very tough run against the top teams.

"We have let a lot of goals in recently and have now been left with a massive, massive game on Sunday which is a very tough match for us.

"But I promise it will be a full battle cry from everyone the players, staff and the fans. It is possible we can beat Chelsea, do not worry about the results we have had, we can do it.

"Yes, they are the best team in the league, the champions, but they are coming to Craven Cottage where we have had good results and performances all season. Now we have got to produce another one. We have got to produce a great result and stop this bad run of results."

Despite their predicament just above the relegation zone, Coleman firmly believes all is not lost yet.

"We believe we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel with the way we played at Anfield, regardless of the scoreline," he said.

"It is within touching distance for us, and I do not think we deserved to go down 5-1 at Liverpool.

"It was a far better performance than the previous two games when we were smashed 4-0 by Arsenal and then lost badly at Everton.

"That performance did not deserve such a scoreline, but that is what we got.

"Now we must go into our game on Sunday with Chelsea and believe we can get something."