Manchester City have confirmed an agreement has been reached to sign Carlos Tevez on a five-year contract.

Tevez has been widely expected to join City after the end of his two-year loan spell at local rivals Manchester United.
The Argentine failed to agree on an extension at Old Trafford and had also been linked with fellow Premier League clubs Chelsea and Liverpool.

The 25-year-old revealed he would not sign for Liverpool due to their rivalry with United, but has opted for a deal with neighbours City.

He is due to undergo a medical before signing the paperwork, with the deal having been ratified by the Premier League and the Football Association.

City boss Mark Hughes is delighted to have snapped up the former South American Footballer of the Year and expects Tevez to add another dimension to his team.

"It is terrific news," Hughes told the club's official website. "Carlos is an international player of the highest class who possesses all the attributes that will help drive this club forward.

"He is not only outstanding technically, but he is a reliable goalscorer and someone who will contribute fully to the team ethic. He gives us another exciting, attacking dimension.

"I cannot wait to welcome him to City. This is yet another deal that shows the commitment of the owner Sheikh Mansour to make this club the very best it can possibly be. I am sure our fans will give Carlos an exceptionally warm welcome."

Tevez had joined United in 2007 after a season with West Ham and formed a potent partnership with Wayne Rooney during his debut campaign.

However, last summer's arrival of Dimitar Berbatov saw Tevez play a less prominent role in key matches and he was unhappy with being on the bench on a regular basis.

He will now form a new-look City attack, with Roque Santa Cruz having been signed from Blackburn Rovers and Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor also a target.
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Reports from Sky Sports stated that Manchester City are in talks with Arsenal over the possible signing of striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

Adebayor has been linked with a move away from Arsenal this summer, with a number of European clubs said to be interested in his services.

But the Togo international's future looked to be settled after his agent recently stated he would be staying at Emirates Stadium.

However, it is understood talks between affluent club City and their Premier League rivals Arsenal over a possible deal have begun.

The 25-year-old signed for the Gunners from Monaco in 2006 and has scored 62 goals in 142 appearances for the North London club.

Reports have suggested Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could turn to Bordeaux forward Marouane Chamakh as a replacement for Adebayor.

City have already signed Gareth Barry and Roque Santa Cruz from Aston Villa and Manchester City since the end of last season.

Mark Hughes is also believed to be lining up a swoop for former Manchester United forward Carlos Tevez, while Chelsea captain John Terry is a known target.

Manager Hughes is keen to build a side capable of breaking up the so-called 'big four', and the potential captures of Tevez and Adebayor would demonstrate real intent.

Manchester City and Arsenal have both stated they will not comment on transfer speculation.
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IT was just the start a young national side needed under a new coach as Malaysia crushed Zimbabwe 4-0 in an international friendly at the KLFA Stadium in Cheras.

National coach K Rajagobal gave four players -- goalkeeper Farizal Marlias, Mazlizam Mohamad, Amar Rohidan and S. Kunanlan -- their first senior cap.

Using 4-2-3-1 formation, coach K. Rajagobal proved that players from the U-23 squad can play with senior players such as Amri Yahyah, Indraputra and Norhafiz Zamani. Malaysia’s line-up were:

Zakuan

Indraputra Mahayuddin - Md Amri Yahyah - S. Kunanlan

Amar Rohidan - Shafiq Rahim

Asrarudin Putra - Aidil Zafuan - Norhafiz Zamani (C) - Mazlizam Mohamad

Farizal Marlias (GK)

The Zimbabweans were represented by their 2008 Premier League champions Monomotapa United with only two players having played for the full national side previously.

Malaysia deservingly went ahead through Safiq Rahim's 45th minute penalty after creating nearly all of the goal scoring chances in the first half.

Referee R. Krishnan awarded the penalty when Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, who only came on four minutes earlier for an injured Zaquan Adha Radzak, was brought down in the box by Zimbabwe defender Tendai Semanja.
Amri Yahyah, playing behind the striker, could have helped himself to a hat-trick in a five-minute span before the break with Kunanlan wreaking havoc down the right flank.

Malaysia came out firing against the Zimbabweans early in the second half with Amri, Norshahrul and Safiq Rahim going close before Indra Putra Mahayuddin headed into an open goal from Kunanlan cross in the 50th minute.

Farderin Kadir added the third in the 85th minute before Norshahrul completed the rout two minutes from the end.
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Liverpool are ready to offer Javier Mascherano, 25, a new contract this week in a bid to persuade him to stay.

He is unsettled as his wife does not want to return from Argentina and Barcelona have expressed strong interest.

But Liverpool will look to nearly treble his pay to keep him.

Real Madrid maintain an interest in Xabi Alonso but are struggling to match the £35million valuation.

Liverpool have signed France Under 18 international defender Chris Mavinga, 18, from Paris St Germain.

Carlos Tevez will fly back from holiday today to complete a £25million move to Manchester City and disappoint Chelsea.

The striker was being pursued by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's club but is heading for City after being persuaded to join the ambitious project manager Mark Hughes is masterminding.

Tevez will undergo a medical today and is hoping to join City's tour of South Africa, which departs on Wednesday, with a five-year contract worth £150,000 a week agreed.

Those wages and the fact that his family is settled in Cheshire worked against Chelsea, who were keen to lure him after he was released by Manchester United but are still adjusting to life as a club without the greatest spending power.

The changing of the guard in terms of finances in the Barclays Premier League has been underlined already this summer by City's signing of £12m midfielder Gareth Barry from Aston Villa and striker Roque Santa Cruz, who cost £18m from Blackburn.

But buying Tevez will also make its mark on neighbours United, who failed to convince the Argentina international they wanted him enough after his two-year loan expired at the end of last season.
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Manchester City have shown him the money, now John Terry has to show them the love. If it takes a transfer request to leave Chelsea, Terry must be prepared to make one. Otherwise, forget it.

For Terry, it is make your mind up time; for City, the moment of truth.

This week they will discover what motivates the England captain; for this to be the right move, it has to be about more than the cynics think.

George Graham had it right. Never buy a player who thinks he is taking a step down to join you, he would say. He will act as if he is doing you a favour by just being there.

Obviously, this is an easier policy to implement as manager of Arsenal than Manchester City. Mark Hughes, with employers in a hurry to join the elite, does not have that option if he wishes to make marquee signings.

City must offer big money to make up for their reduced status and the absence of Champions League football; but if money is the only appeal, they are better off with a lesser name and greater dedication.

They are learning, albeit slowly. The decision to kill the deal for Samuel Eto'o of Barcelona was a sensible one. The player had dithered all summer and was clearly waiting for a better offer. City were as patient as possible over Carlos Tevez, too. Had that saga dragged on a day longer, he should have been told where to go - and it wouldn't have been Chelsea because he seems to have been angling for that move since the season ended.

City are not in a position to issue ultimatums to players at elite clubs, so they have to tolerate being messed about. Not indefinitely, though. They cannot be taken for fools and there comes a time when a player must meet them halfway. For Terry, that time is fast approaching.

There is no harm in aiming high, but a fall will soon follow if players think they are doing the club a turn merely by being on the pay-roll. Money will be an initial attraction but, beyond that, there must be substance. Terry cannot expect to protect his image as a Chelsea stalwart and pick up City's pay packet. The time to play the field has passed. City are entitled to investment, too, but personal, not financial.

Yet when City look to attract players from Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea, the dynamic changes and they have to make sure the deal is happening for the right reasons, that their targets buy into a project, not just a pay cheque.

The transfer request is the litmus test for Terry. If he is not prepared to make such a commitment, City should be wary. In the circumstances, it is hardly too much to ask.

All in all, is JT brave enough to do what is right?
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Chelsea are planning a sensational swoop for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, according to The News of the World.

Apparently, the Blues are ready to offer €70 million plus Ricardo Carvalho and Deco, the Portuguese pair in whom the Nerazzurri have expressed interest.

Ibrahimovic is well aware of the London club's interest, saying, "I am fully aware that Chelsea want to sign me and, of course, it is very flattering.

"They are one of the biggest teams in Europe and the Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world."

If the deal goes through, it will more than double Chelsea's record transfer fee, when they paid €34m for Andriy Shevchenko.

Chelsea would also have to match Ibrahimovic's current wages of around €12m per year, but the Swedish striker insisted that a potential move was not about money.

"Money is not the most important thing," he continued. "I will base my decision on what's good for me, what suits me.

"It is about asking: will I still be able to be special in the league that I am going to, the team I am going to? Are my qualities right for the Premier League or not?"
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NATIONAL coach K. Rajagobal (pic) broke with the past in calling up 15 uncapped players for next Saturday's friendly against Manchester United but it also points the way forward for a national team long the butt of jokes. With the national Under-23 team tasked with salvaging Malaysian football's pride at the Laos Sea Games in December, Rajagobal opted to look to the future when naming his national squad.

The match against the English Premier League champions could well turn into a lopsided affair, but it is one which the former Selangor and national striker believes will become a good learning experience for the national players.

"The boys will be psyched to play United and you can be sure they will be going all out to impress. After all, how many chances will they get to play against a team like that," said Rajagobal after a recent training session at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya.

Rajagobal has kept faith with only three seniors from the side who lost 5-0 to the United Arab Emirates in an Asian Cup qualifier in January, which proved to be the undoing of his predecessor B. Sathianathan.

Defender Norhafiz Zamani Misbah, the most experienced in the current 28-strong squad with 57 caps, Kelantan's Indra Putra Mahayuddin (47) and right-back V. Thirumurugan (14) are joined by Selangor captain Amri Yahya in leading the young national team against Zimbabwe (tomorrow and Tuesday), United (July 18) and Indonesia (Aug 5 and 8).


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