PREMIER LEAGUE:MANCHESTER CITY'S desire to sever their ties with Carlos Tevez will see Milan make an opening offer to take him on loan for the rest of the season before paying €20 million to sign him next summer.
Milan are aware that City want a permanent transfer in the January window, but the Italian club are hoping to negotiate a compromise for a player who has been on strike since November 8th.
The Serie A side have already agreed terms with Tevez and their vice-president, Adriano Galliani, said an official bid had now been emailed to City. “I hope that City accept our offer. I foiled a few enemies in Italy and Europe, though I can’t say whom. We’re in pole position now.”
City will almost certainly reply that they are not willing to accept a loan arrangement but their manager, Roberto Mancini, reiterated there was no way back for Tevez in Manchester. “It’s is important to sell Carlos. If he has a chance to go to Italy I am happy for him.”
Corriere dello Sportreported that Tevez had agreed a basic salary of €4 million for this season, rising to €5 million plus bonuses for the following three seasons. The latter sum is less than half his current salary in Manchester.
“He’s turning down a mountain of money,” said Galliani. “He’s not playing, he’s a great player and if he does well with us we’ll exercise the option. Tevez wants to join us, half the deal is done. Now we’re awaiting a response from City.”
Mancini, preparing for the Champions League tie against Bayern Munich that will determine whether City go through to the knockout stages or drop into the Europa League, also admitted that Kolo Toure could leave at the end of the season.
“At this moment he cannot go because we have some injuries and we need his experience but if he asks me in the summer: ‘Boss, I want to leave because I want to play,’ I will respect him as a man.”
Mancini was speaking on the day it emerged Toure faces legal action with the French magazine So Foot about an interview in which he was quoted saying African players were “the victims of discrimination”.
Toure has escaped the possibility of internal punishment by telling City that great swathes of the interview were either fabricated or twisted and that he never claimed he was “the victim” of a system where playing in the African Nations Cup was so “catastrophic” that “coaches no longer want to sign players because of it”.
But Franck Annese, the So Footjournalist, said: "I did the interview. If he says no, I will sue him. You can write it in your paper. We have got the evidence that he did it. Everything has been recorded."
Meanwhile, the English FA are looking at allegations Liverpool striker Luis Suarez made an offensive gesture after Monday night’s 1-0 defeat at Fulham.
Television stills appear to show the Uruguay international making a one-fingered gesture in the direction of the crowd as he left the pitch at Craven Cottage.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was cautious when quizzed about the allegations. “I’ve not seen the picture and I am not taking anybody’s word for it,” he said. “But until you have proved it is true to me, I won’t comment.”
Dalglish defended the striker after he was subjected to “cheat” taunts by fans unhappy at the way the player went to ground regularly.
Suarez is awaiting a date for his hearing at which he will deny an FA racism charge after allegations made by Manchester United defender Patrice Evra in October.
Guardian Service
