The 50-year-old singer who was first romantically linked to the baseball player, nickname "A-Rod", earlier this year before announcing her divorce from Guy Ritchie - has reportedly been gushing to close pals about the sportsman.

A source said: "Madonna is smitten with Alex. She told a close friend that he has the heart of a poet trapped inside an insanely gorgeous body."

It has also been claimed Alex has regularly been sending the mother-of-three "love notes".

The source added to the New York Post newspaper: "Alex has been writing Madonna these sweet, personal and rambling expressions of his feelings - sort of like old-fashioned love notes."

It was recently claimed Alex is so keen to make his relationship with Madonna work that he is moving in a bid to be closer to the singer.

A source close to the sportsman said: "A-Rod was living in an apartment on Columbus Circle, five blocks from Madonna's New York base in Central Park West. But now he wants to move three blocks north to 15 Central Park West - meaning he would only be two blocks away from Madonna."