Adios Carlitos: Carlos Tevez Transfer Saga Finally Reaching Its Conclusion?

The longstanding issues surrounding Carlos Tevez’s expected departure from Manchester City is likely to be resolved by the end of the week after the club accepted an offer from Brazilian club, Corinthians, for his signature.

The Argentinean striker declared his intention to leave England last week, with the hope a move will allow him to be closer to his family and two young daughters.

It was expected that Tevez would be allowed to leave for a team in continental Europe, with Inter Milan and Real Madrid heading the queue for his services. However, his huge wages, believed to be in excess of £250,000 a week, were a stumbling block to any deal.

In addition, Manchester City’s refusal to be held to ransom by Tevez led to them slapping a £50 million price tag on his head--something which very few teams would be capable of meeting.

However, Corinthians became a surprise candidate for his signing last week when they launched a bid in the region of £35m, which amounted to 20-25% of their annual television revenue.

City’s owners rejected the offer, and despite the Brazilians’ insistence that they were unable to raise their offer, the club made another offer late last week of around £40m, which was enough to convince the Manchester outfit to sell.

With a fee now agreed, Tevez has permission to discuss a move to Brazil, which he will undertake this week following Argentina’s premature exit from the Copa America.

City, meanwhile, will begin looking for his replacement, and a deal for his want-away compatriot, Sergio Aguero, is believed to be in the pipeline.

Regardless, the loss of Tevez would be huge for City, for whom he scored 51 goals in just 82 appearances, and his influence on the team will be difficult to offset despite the potential arrival of Aguero.

Whether Corinthians will be able to meet Tevez’s wage demands is likely to be the only potential sticking point in the deal, with Kia Joorachabian, Tevez’s adviser, already stating that his player would be willing to ply his trade in South America as it allowed him to be closer to his family.

If Tevez does sign, he will make his return to Corinthians, a team where he plied his trade before moving to England with West Ham.

Tevez is still seen as a cult hero by the club, and a return would be incredibly popular amongst the fans, which is perhaps why Corinthians are so willing to spend such an exorbitant amount of money in a bid to secure a deal for him.

The move would signal an end to a five-year spell in England, during which Tevez saved West Ham from relegation, won two Premier League titles and a Champions League with Manchester United, and then made a well-publicised move to local rivals City, where he lifted the FA Cup, City’s first trophy for 36 years.

Now Tevez has an opportunity to show the world that his primary motivation in his life and career is his family.

Remaining in Manchester is not an option, and with no alternatives currently on the table, a sensational and unlikely return to Corinthians looks much more plausible.

The final chapter in Carlos Tevez’s Manchester City career finally looks like it has been written.