In fact, he is Brazilian Joao Alves de Assis Silva and he would cost the Blues £20m Euros should they proceed with their inquiry.

Sven-Goran Eriksson has just four days to decide whether he wants the CSKA Moscow star and to then sort out a deal with the 20-year-old and his representatives.

Even if the answer is `no', then the Blues could stick with the Brazil/Russia connection in their hunt for new faces with Jo's club and country colleagues Vagner Love and Daniel Carvalho (attacking midfielder) remaining high on Eriksson's agenda.

Jo is available following Moscow's abject performance in the Champions League in which they finished bottom of Group G.

The Brazil international, who has just one cap to his name, scored twice in four outings in the competition and has had a decent scoring record since moving to Russia from Corinthians in his own country.

It was thought that Eriksson would move for CSKA's more vaunted hitman Love (ndash) and he still may do so (ndash) but the 6ft 2ins Jo's beefier style is perhaps more akin to what the Blues require and when Valencia this week pulled out of a deal to take the striker to La Liga because they felt the cost too great, City became favourites to land the player work permit issues

permitting!
The arrival of a new face may be a blow to feted Blues teenager Daniel Sturridge. who had hoped to climb the ladder following the departure of Rola ndo Bianchi, but with Georgios Samaras and Emile Mpenza's futures with City beyond this season far from certain, there may yet be plenty of opportunity for Sturridge who scored a superb goal at Sheffield United yesterday.

Eriksson also remains keen on Real Zaragoza's experienced Argentina international Diego Alberto Milito. The 28-year-old former Genoa man is, however, rated at £18m and the Spaniards are unlikely to sell until the summer.Meanwhile, Djibril Cisse, still a possible loan target, bagged three of Marseille's six goals in their league game. In outgoing news, keeper Andreas Isaksson looks as though he may be on the way to Galatasaray and that will leave the way clear for Eriksson to make an improved bid for Elfsborg's Sweden Under-21s starlet Abbas Hassan. The Blues are hoping that a loan deal for Georgios Samaras not to Espanyol may yet come off in the next 48 hours.