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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Manchester City seal $40M Tevez transfer...



..Courtesy CNN..

Big-spending English Premier League club Manchester City have completed the much-anticipated signing of Argentina international Carlos Tevez.
The 25-year-old was presented to the media on Tuesday afternoon ahead of City's departure the following day for a three-match pre-season tour of South Africa.

City revealed on Monday night that the striker has agreed a five-year contract and would complete his move from bitter rivals Manchester United after passing a medical.

A fee for the transfer has not yet been revealed, but it is reported that City have agreed to pay about $40 million to take over the player's ownership rights from the sports agencies which previously held them.

Tevez denied claims by his former manager Alex Ferguson that he had decided to leave Old Trafford as long ago as January.

Ferguson also said that he had offered the player a new contract on the night United played Inter Milan in the Champions League in March, but Tevez did not return his calls or text messages.

"I was there for two years and Sir Alex never called or sent any text messages in that time," Tevez told reporters through an interpreter.

"The only time he spoke to me was after the Champions League final in Rome when I was going back to Argentina. It doesn't seem that this is the way to treat a player in two years at the club. It doesn't seem there is a line of communication.

"It is United people talking about signing a contract (in January) but it is not true that it was decided then. I felt Sir Alex Ferguson and (United chief executive) David Gill did not do enough to try to keep me.

"The fact I did not stay at United was not because of the fans. They must understand a part of my heart will always be with them. They were always extremely supportive, even when I wasn't playing."

City manager Mark Hughes confirmed that the club had been in contact with Arsenal over a move for Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who has been linked with a $40 million move to Eastlands.

"I think there's been discussions between ourselves and Arsenal but, as is my usual response about players that we haven't signed, really it's not the right time or place to discuss that -- only in as much as yes, there has been contact," Hughes told reporters.