Corinthians claim Juventus have entered the race to sign Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez with a £45million bid.
Tevez has made it clear all summer that he wants to leave Manchester City for family reasons, as his children are currently based back home in Argentina.
A move to continental Europe always seemed the only possibility for him until his former club Corinthians stepped in with an offer worth £35million at the beginning of this week.
Juventus had been looking to make a move for Sergio Aguero, the Atletico Madrid star who is now being strongly linked with a switch to City.
However, Juve have seemingly now shown their hand and lodged a £45million offer for Tevez.
But Corinthians president Andres Sanchez, while confirming that Juve had now made an offer and saying their own bid will not be increased, insists Tevez does not want to continue playing anywhere in Europe.
"Nothing has changed. They (Manchester City) have to decide whether to sell or not," said Sanchez, after seeing his side win 1-0 against Internacional on Thursday evening.
"They have a proposal for €52million (£45million) from Juventus, but Tevez does not want to stay in Europe.
"I keep dreaming. I made the offer in the end, even I was surprised. But it now depends on City. If I am president of a club that has Tevez then I would not want to sell. But the word of the player has a lot of weight
"You see that when the player wants to leave, he will leave anyway. In football, contracts were made to be broken."
Sanchez insists that Corinthians have a plan in place that will make them one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"Within three or four years, Brazilian soccer is going to be the world's richest. Just do the accounts," he said.
"The Corinthians have a recipe that no-one imagined two years ago. Corinthians will be, financially speaking, one of the world's strongest teams."
Sanchez said that their offer would remain on the table until January, adding: "He has until early next year to decide."
Gael blown away
GAEL CLICHY has been shocked by his tough-tackling new team-mates at Manchester City.
The French full-back spent eight seasons at Arsenal but moved to Eastlands earlier this month in a £7million deal.
And James Milner reckons the amount of tackles flying in during City's pre-season tour of North America has been a real eye-opener for Clichy, 25.
The FA Cup winners are renowned for their lively training sessions at their Carrington HQ.
England man Milner, speaking in San Francisco, said: "Gael hasn't been here too long but he's seen a few tackles fly in.
"He's surprised at that because at Arsenal they don't tackle too much in training. We train as we play but as soon as we come off the field everyone is together.
"It's good to go on tour for the fitness but with the new boys it's good to spend time with them. They'll get to know us a lot quicker spending 2½ weeks on the road rather than a few hours in training."
Winger Milner failed to live up to his £26m price tag following his switch from Aston Villa last August.
But he has returned from his summer break in great shape and urged boss Roberto Mancini to play him in central midfield this season.
Milner, 25, said: "He knows my best position is the middle and I think that too. Hopefully, I've shown that when I've had a chance to play there but I'll just keep working hard."
Gareth Barry believes his own controversial decision to quit Villa Park two years ago has been justified.
And he also hopes City's Champions League campaign can force him back into the England reckoning.
He said: "We won the FA Cup and we're in the Champions League so it's been a great move so far.
"But you get your England place back by playing well for your club so that'll be my initial aim."
Meanwhile, defender Jerome Boateng has flown back from the US to complete his move to Bayern Munich.
The German international wants to return home just a year after joining from Hamburg for £11m.
Boateng, 22, struggled to settle at Eastlands last season and was also plagued by injuries.
'Huge' bid could net City Eto'o
MANCHESTER CITY have been told only a 'huge' bid will be enough to prise Samuel Eto'o away from Inter Milan.
Roberto Mancini has been linked with a move for the 30-year-old, who has admitted he would be interested in playing in the Premier League.
And with doubts surrounding the future of Carlos Tevez at Eastlands, Mancini could launch a raid for the £25million-rated former Barcelona hitman.
But although Eto'o's agent, Claudio Vigorelli, insists the Cameroon striker is happy in Italy, he hinted a blockbuster offer could tempt Inter to sell.
Vigorelli said: "At the moment Inter and Eto'o are happy with each other.
"That's the way things are unless something changes before the end of August.
"However, there's always a chance that Inter receive a big money offer for Samuel.
"I'm talking about a huge bid here — that hasn't happened just yet.
"Inter are not looking to cash in on him and he's not pushing for a transfer but you never know what happens in football."
Eto'o joined Inter from Barca in the summer of 2009 and has three years remaining on his deal
'Caps will test Manchester City, says Kidd
Citizens assistant recalls time in NASL, hails quality of MLS
..Manchester City assistant manager Brian Kidd is relishing the chance to return to Vancouver, this time on the other side of the white line.
The former Manchester United forward finished his playing career in the North American Soccer League for the Fort Lauderdale/Minnesota Strikers from 1982-84, and during that period, faced the Vancouver Whitecaps at the now demolished Empire Stadium.
On Monday, he’ll work with head coach Roberto Mancini to prepare FA Cup champions Manchester City for their Premier League season by taking on the MLS edition of the Vancouver Whitecaps at Empire Field on Monday (10 pm ET; ESPN2, ESPN Deportes) in their second match of the Herbalife World Football Challenge.
“They’ve got everything set up in Canada and America – the standard [of play] is very, very good,” Kidd told Vancouver media Thursday afternoon via conference call. “People don’t realize it, [Major League Soccer doesn’t] get enough credit for it.”
The Collyhurst, Manchester, England native gave the impression the match isn’t going to be a standard friendly with a squad full of players battling for starting positions when the Premier League season begins in August.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game [vs. Vancouver],” Kidd said. “It’s going to be a competitive game. We’ll be looking to have an edge to our game. And from the players’ point of view, they’re fighting for their place now – they can’t afford to sit back and relax.”
The squad Manchester City are bringing to Vancouver includes 2010 World Cup winner David Silva and English internationals Joe Hart, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Gareth Barry, James Milner, Adam Johnson, Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards, among other stars of world football.
“[Mancini] will look for a mix-and-match with the starters,” Kidd said. “The well-known players will be playing.”
North America is becoming an increasingly popular destination for top European clubs to prepare for their domestic and European campaigns, and Kidd said that shouldn’t surprise anyone.
“I’ve told all the players and all the staff what a wonderful place Vancouver is. It’s a beautiful place,” Kidd said. “You get good competition; there’s no easy games now when you’re finding your feet.”
Indeed, during the NASL era in the 1980s, the Whitecaps defeated Manchester City twice. The club defeated the Citizens 5-0 in 1980 in Vancouver before following that up with a 2-0 win a year later.
“With Canada and America, the game is getting more popular now than it was years ago,” Kidd said. “Clubs are looking to be invited out here. For me, it’s wonderful. I had a great experience out there and I can’t speak highly enough of the Canadians and Americans when I was out there.”
“Vancouver, what a beautiful place,” Kidd concluded. “Our players will be well looked after up there, and they’ll talk about this for years to come, like I’ve done going back 20 years plus now.”
OTHER BOLLOX
Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing's move to Liverpool has seen talks open up between the clubs over a move in the opposite direction for midfielder Joe Cole. Metro
Leeds United winger Max Gradel is ready to snub West Ham and Fulham, for a shot at the Champions League with Lille. Daily Mail
United and Manchester City target Alexis Sanchez is finally set to end speculation over his future by signing for Barcelona this week. Both Manchester clubs had approached Udinese about signing the Chile international forward. Talksport
Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew fears Chelsea will make a big-money bid for £10million-rated Cheik Tiote. The Sun
However, Chelsea have agreed a £5m fee with Belgian side Genk to make keeper Thibault Courtois the first signing of the Andre Villas-Boas era. Daily Mirror
QPR winger Adel Taarabt is definitely leaving Loftus Road this summer, according to leading agent Marco Sommella. Metro
Stoke chairman Peter Coates may have wrecked their £4.5m move for Carlton Cole by questioning the West Ham striker's injury record in a TV interview. Angry Cole could now stay at Upton Park or move to QPR instead. Daily Mirror
West Ham expect to receive a £7m Aston Villa bid for midfielder Scott Parker once Stewart Downing makes his £20m move to Liverpool. Daily Mirror
Reports from Italy indicate that both Milan sides, AC and Inter, are contemplating a bid for Tottenham's Gareth Bale. footieonline.com
Everton are again looking to take Real Madrid starlet Sergio Canales on a season-long loan. Aston Villa, QPR and Villarreal also want the young playmaker. Daily Mirror
Tottenham are the latest side to express an interest in FC Basel midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri - who would cost around £5m. Talksport
But Spurs and Sevilla are at loggerheads over a proposed deal to take Giovani dos Santos to Spain. The Mexican midfielder has failed to establish himself at White Hart Lane and Harry Redknapp is keen to off-load him this summer. Talksport
Newcastle want to sell left-back Jose Enrique as soon as possible so they have time to buy a replacement. The Spaniard is a target for Liverpool and Arsenal. Daily Mirror
Liverpool plan to continue to add to their squad and are preparing a bid for Barcelona attacker Jeffren. caughtoffside.com
Wigan have increased the asking price for Charles N'Zogbia. They now want over £9m for the winger, who is wanted by Aston Villa and Everton. Daily Mirror
German side Schalke believe they have beaten Blackburn in the race to sign £10m-rated Freiburg hotshot Papiss Demba Cisse. The 25-year-old scored 22 goals last season. Talksport
Fulham are watching 20-year-old Hajduk Split and Croatia Under-21 striker Ante Vukusic. Daily Mirror
Spurs are racing to sign 16-year-old Ivory Coast striking sensation Souleymane Coulibaly from Italy's Siena for £2m before the transfer window closes at the end of August, but could be foiled by red tape. Daily Mirror
Arsene Wenger say's it's Arsenal's destiny to win the Premier League after terrible end to last season. Daily Telegraph
Premier League managers in the will be free to field weakened teams next season without fear of reprisal. Daily Mail
Sir Alex Ferguson has hit back at claims David De Gea is too young to be Manchester United's new number one keeper. The Sun
Stoke manager Tony Pulis has told West Ham striker Carlton Cole his wage demands are scuppering a £4.5million move to the club. The Sun
Michael Dawson has given his support to Tottenham's management over their tough stance towards Luka Modric and Chelsea. Metro
Former Blackburn and West Ham striker Benni McCarthy is training with Ajax Cape Town as he looks to salvage his career. The 33-year-old struggled to make any impact at West Ham following his £2.5m move and was released. Talksport
Emmanuel Adebayor says Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is a better manager than Arsene Wenger and Roberto Mancini. Metro
Photos of Angelina Jolie's daughter Shiloh at Heathrow airport have outed her as a closet Liverpool fan. Metro
