Jardel to solve Valencia's goal drought?

One of the major moans of the Spanish title hopefuls has been new coach Rafa Benitez's rotational policy, which the strikers think has hurt their chances of gaining form.

However, this would appear to be a somewhat short-sighted viewpoint given that Valencia's success has been built on the back of sound defensive play and incisive midfield thrusting.

The 28-year-old Jardel has been in sparkling form since his return to Portugal, although Sporting's likely victory in the domestic league and hence their appearance in the Champions League will have to be matched by Valencia.

With 33 goals in as many games, Jardel is in the running for the European Golden Boot and his asking price could well prove to be out of Valencia's reach.

Although the Spanish media point to Valencia's poor goalscoring record - last season's club Pichichi only managed 13 goals, having only conceded 25 in 31 games it highlights Benitez's strengths.

Valencia were in the running for Jardel a couple of years ago, but with Salva Ballesta possibly going to jump ship in the summer, following his lack of opportunities, a new striker is highly likely to be top of Benitez's list for next season.