Manchester City hope to complete the £39.6 million signing of Sergio Agüero, the Atlético Madrid striker, before the end of the week as Roberto Mancini considers stripping Carlos Tévez of the captaincy after the collapse of his proposed move to Corinthians.
Tévez does not want to come back to Manchester, but unless a transfer can be arranged within the next fortnight, he will have no choice but to return to a club whose patience wore thin long ago.
City have grown tired of attempting to appease Tévez and Mancini may seek to assert his authority over the player by handing the captain’s armband to Vincent Kompany, after the manager opted against that decision when Tévez submitted and later withdrew a transfer request last December.
Tévez was given two weeks off after Argentina were eliminated by Uruguay on Saturday in the quarter- finals of the Copa América, although the striker may not begin training with City until after the Community Shield against Manchester United at Wembley on August 7.
If City have given the impression of being beholden to Tévez in the past, their determination to plan for the new season regardless of what happens to their captain is reflected in their desire to complete the signing of Agüero, Tévez’s Argentina team-mate.
Talks are continuing with Atlético, and although no formal bid had yet to be submitted as of last night, the expectation is that a deal will be struck in the next few days. City, whose pursuit of Agüero was revealed by The Times more than a fortnight ago, are expected to meet the €45 million release clause in the 23-year-old’s contract.
City were unsurprised by the collapse of Tévez’s proposed move to Corinthians, who failed to meet demands for bank guarantees proving the Brazilian club had the money to fund the £38.7 million deal, which was to be paid in four tranches of £8.8 million each with a further £3.5 million in add-ons. Although City requested the first instalment to be paid upon completion of the transfer, Corinthians wanted the initial payment to be broken into two and backdated to next year. City relented and agreed to a first payment of £4.4 million to be paid on February 28 next year and the second £4.4 million to be paid on June 28.
City made four requests for Corinthians to provide bank guarantees that they had the money but those assurances were not forthcoming and the potential transfer, which had been treated with considerable scepticism from the start by City fans, imploded 24 hours before the close of the Brazilian transfer window.
James Milner, the City midfield player, believes that the club could more than cope with the loss of Tévez. Speaking in Los Angeles, where City have announced plans to create a new football facility in the east of the city for local children, Milner said: “Carlos has shown what a great player he is, but it’s not all about him. There’s quality all over the park at this club now.”
