Ferguson confident on reaching Tevez deal
MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said he was confident that Argentina international Carlos Tevez would soon be a United player.
United are trying to bring Tevez to Old Trafford but need to cut through a mountain of red tape that clouded the player's stay at West Ham United last season.
"It is well documented that we are in negotiations over Carlos Tevez. The essential parts are all agreed and we are just hoping to finalise it soon," Ferguson told reporters on Monday.
"Maurice Watkins (club solicitor) has been working for the last month or maybe more than that on the whole deal to make sure everything is absolutely perfectly clear as far as we are concerned and there are no side issues."
He said he thought the delay had come as a result of the Premier League's ongoing examination of Tevez's situation.
Confusion arose last season over the ownership of 23-year-old Tevez concerning West Ham and management company Media Sports Investment, headed by agent Kia Joorabchian.
West Ham were fined over the issue and United did not pursue their interest in Tevez last summer because of the nature of the proposed deal.
Ferguson said that situation had now been clarified and he expected no obstacles to adding Tevez to his array of attacking talent at Old Trafford.
"There is a transparency in it now. We are clear about the situation regarding it," he said.
"I am sure the outcome will be that we will be taking him with complete clarity in the deal with no suspicions or anything dodgy about it. There is no way that we can be involved with anything that's underhand at all."
Agencies
(China Daily 07/11/2007 page24)
