Tevez next port of call is at Juventus
Striker still has to agree to terms and pass a medical
CARLOS Tevez’s turbulent Manchester City career is coming to an end after the Premier League club agreed to sell the Argentina striker to Juventus on Tuesday in a transfer worth up to £12-million (about R187-million).
A person familiar with the situation said the clubs negotiated a deal in London on Tuesday, with the 29-year-old Tevez still needing to finalise personal terms for a threeyear deal and then pass a medical examination. The move could be completed this week.
The person spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to confirm British media reports because he was not authorised to discuss details of a deal that is yet to be completed.
By adding the transfer fee to wages and bonuses due in the final year of his contract, City is set to save around £27-million (R416-million) by offloading Tevez.
The hard-working striker joined City in 2009 after leaving local rivals Manchester United and has played an integral role in the club’s rise as a Premier League force, eventually becoming its captain.
He helped City end its trophy drought by winning the FA Cup in 2011, with the Premier League title arriving the following season.
His four-year spell at the club will forever be remembered, however, by his refusal to come on as a substitute in a Champions League match at Bayern Munich in September 2011, sparking a major fall-out with then-manager Roberto Mancini.
After being told by Mancini that he’d never play for City again, Tevez went on unauthorised leave to Argentina and only returned to Manchester with three months to go that season after failing to secure a move away.
The move to Juve, which won the Serie A title by nine points last season, ends Tevez’s seven-year stint in English football after first moving to the Premier League in 2006 to join West Ham.
At United, which he joined in 2007, Tevez won two league titles and the Champions League.
With City having sold Mario Balotelli to AC Milan in January, it has only Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko as recognised strikers in the squad. Sweden striker John Guidetti is highly rated and may be handed a chance to prove himself at Etihad Stadium next season.
New City manager Manuel Pellegrini is almost certain, however, to dip back into the transfer market to bolster his forward line. — Sapa-AP