According to the Associated Press, Carlos Tevez will undergo a medical in Venezuela as English champion Manchester United closes in on a two-year loan move for the West Ham United striker. The Argentine is currently playing in the Copa America in Venezuela with the national team. A joint announcement is expected later on Friday from Tevez’s adviser Kia Joorabchian and the Old Trafford club.
Source told the AP that Tevez would initially join United on loan with the option to buy later in a three-year deal worth more than $60 million. Of course, West Ham United, the player’s current club, want compensation for letting its prized possession go. The legal implications of West Ham’s request are uncertain due to the unorthodox manner in which Tevez was brought to the club in the first place. The 23-year-old is partly owned by the sports management firm Media Sport Investment; he and fellow Argentine Javier Mascherano arrived at Upton Park with no transfer fee from Brazilian club Corinthians.
West Ham is understood to have had the right of first refusal to secure Tevez’s services for three years for $80 million, but having declined the exorbitant sum, Joorabchian was given permission to negotiate with other clubs — and not necessarily for that much. Under the proposed deal, Man United will only have to pay a small loan fee plus the player’s salary, which is believed to be the highest at Old Trafford.