Carlos Tevez's proposed move to Milan has collapsed, leaving the on-strike Argentina forward facing an increasingly uncertain future and the Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, with even less chance of persuading the club's owners to relax the spending restrictions they have imposed during the January transfer window.
After several weeks of protracted talks Milan have pulled out of the negotiations after accepting that City were unwilling to budge when it came to wanting a permanent transfer. Milan had proposed a loan arrangement and a delegation from San Siro, led by the chief executive, Adriano Galliani, and the club's lawyer, Lorenzo Cantamessa, made one last attempt to persuade City to relax that position during a meeting in London on Thursday.
City's acting chief executive, John MacBeath, and the football administrator, Brian Marwood, made it clear that the club's owners in Abu Dhabi were not going to change their mind and the talks broke up with Galliani saying he would not return with a counter-proposal. Milan were always struggling to raise the £20m-£25m transfer fee and the decision of Alexandre Pato to stay in Italy and turn down a move to Paris St-Germain has been a significant factor.
Tevez, whose strike at City has lasted two months, is in a state of limbo after making it clear he is unwilling to return to Manchester if a new buyer cannot be found. Internazionale and Juventus have also been monitoring his position but Milan represented Tevez's best hope and the player's advisers regard the latest development as a significant setback.
The list of clubs with enough money to entertain the idea of taking him on was never particularly long but has now receded to the point that he will have to wait until the summer market unless something dramatically changes between Milan and City.
That threatens repercussions for Mancini after being informed that he would need to sell Tevez before he could bring in any more players. Sergio Agüero was City's only fit striker when they played Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday and, for all the vast sums of money they have spent, their squad has suddenly started to look a little vulnerable now that Vincent Kompany is serving a four-match suspension and Yaya and Kolo Touré are playing in the Africa Cup of Nations.
David Silva is nursing a long-standing ankle injury and Mancini, mindful that his most creative player has looked as if he needs a rest, has approved a short break for the midfielder to recover in Spain. Silva missed the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Liverpool on Wednesday and may also be absent from Monday's game at Wigan Athletic. Mario Balotelli lasted 39 minutes against Liverpool but should be available.
No comments:
Post a Comment