Jose wants talks but FA wary Mourinho will use England to lure Spanish club

Mourinho spoke publicly on the vacant position yesterday and his agent Jorge Mendes is believed to have told the FA that his client is willing to talk but only if he is contacted directly by chief executive Brian Barwick.

The FA will not be held to ransom and are wary of Mourinho's motives despite sources revealing that they are looking for "world class" coach to take over from Steve McClaren.

That would appear to rule out Alan Shearer as he has no management experience; Stuart Pearce, who has never led a team in Europe; and Martin O'Neill, as he has not won a trophy on the biggest stage.

It suggests that Barwick will have to go foreign as no Englishman fits the bill and Mourinho, along with Italian Fabio Capello and World Cup winners Marcello Lippi and Luiz Felipe Scolari now look to be in the driving seat.

But Barwick, who has been told by the FA board to canvas senior figures in the football world on their opinions before head hunting his preferred choice and then reporting back to Soho Square, is not due to complete his survey of the great and the good in football until the end of next week.

The chief executive knows that he is under a great deal of pressure to get this decision right and he will not be rushed. He does not want to be left with egg on his face by speaking to Mourinho only to discover he has been attempting to flush out interest from Real Madrid.

The Portuguese has always said his next move after Chelsea would be another club job, with Real Madrid top of his wish list.

The FA's chief executive has already spoken to world figures such as UEFA President Michel Platini, German legend Franz Beckenbauer, highly-respected coach Roy Hodgson and Wales manager John Toshack.

Barwick, together with Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA's director of football development, will also talk to senior English statesmen like Sir Bobby Robson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Charlton plus Arsene Wenger, Graham Taylor and Glenn Hoddle.