Sir Alex Ferguson is confident that Carlos Tevez will sign for the Red Devils soon despite a series of legal problems. The Argentina star is set to fly into Manchester Tuesday for a medical test. However, it looks like United’s current Argentine star, Gabriel Heinze, is on his way out — to either Liverpool or Real Madrid. The Red Devils on Monday also offloaded former midfielder Kieran Richardson to Roy Keane’s Sunderland; he now joins former Newcastle striker Michael Chopra and new signing Dickson Etuhu at the Stadium of Light. Aston Villa earlier in the day added West Ham striker Marlon Harewood for an undisclosed fee, while unsettled Tottenham striker Mido looks set for a switch to Birmingham.
Italian giant Roma has secured the signing of Ludovic Giuly from Barcelona for a reported $4.4 million. Giuly is understood to have turned down more lucrative offers to join the Giallorossi. Champion Inter Milan, meanwhile, added unsettled Lazio playmaker Luis Jimenez and River Plate’s Colombian defender, Nelson Rivas, to its expanding roster, while neighbor AC Milan is going after bigger fish, ready to mount a $56 million bid for Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o. At one point the Rossoneri were also considering a move for Real Madrid misfit Antonio Cassano, but an in-house player poll revealed that most did not want the mercurial striker to come to the San Siro. The Italian giant has also cooled on the prospect of Manchester United’s Giuseppe Rossi; the striker’s agent maintains that Parma is the only club to have launched a concrete bid for the Italian American.
The news from Spain is light, but Villarreal defender Roberto Ayala has reportedly paid $10 million to buy out his contract at the Valencia club so he can move to Real Zaragoza, where several of the 34-year-old’s Argentina teammates currently play.