Tevez ownership 'could block Utd move'
Tevez is currently in South America on international duty
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Friday, 06, Jul 2007 08:55
The Premier League has said that Carlos Tevez will only be allowed to join Manchester United if the transfer fee from any deal goes directly to West Ham United.
The issue of the ownership of Tevez has been subject to a great deal of public discussion and scrutiny following the secretive deal that saw him join the Hammers from Brazilian club Corinthians.
Along with fellow Argentinean Javier Mascherano, Tevez's arrival raised eyebrows throughout the football world after the Hammers secured the pair despite interest from a number of more high-profile clubs including Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
However a Premier League spokesman confirmed that, in the eyes of the league, Tevez is owned by West Ham and any transfer fee must go directly to the east London outfit and not to a third party, otherwise the deal will not be ratified.
"As far as we are concerned any deal to take Carlos Tevez away from West Ham has to be done directly with the club," the league spokesman said.
Tevez is reportedly close to signing a deal with United that will see him join a wealth of new stars enlisting with Sir Alex Ferguson's squad, including Nani, Anderson and Owen Hargreaves.
The man at the centre of the uncertainty around Tevez – Kia Joorabchian – failed in a bid to buy the Upton Park club last season, before current chairman Eggert Magnusson took over.
And although he has said there is no problem between himself and West Ham, the Premier League may be forced to step in to oversee any deal that is likely to involve a significant amount of money changing hands.