AFP - Italian league leaders Inter Milan said on Friday they had rescinded the contract of Brazilian striker Adriano, who recently returned to his homeland citing depression and the need for a break from football.

The club said the player's contract would be terminated as from April 1 while stressing it was passing on "all of Inter's affection for eight years together and 74 goals."

The 27-year-old forward was last seen in public on the Brazil bench during an April 1 World Cup qualifying win over Peru.

Adriano joined Inter in 2001 though he had three loan spells - with Fiorentina for the first half of 2002, then Parma (late 2002 to January 2004) and finally Sao Paulo (in the first half of 2008).

He played 177 times for Inter, scoring 48 goals in 123 league appearances and 18 in 35 European matches and won the Serie A title in 2006, 2007 and 2008 as well as two Italian Cups.