Inter plot loan move for Tevez with a view to permanent switch next summer

Italian giants Inter Milan have stepped up their efforts to prise Carlos Tevez away from Manchester City by setting up a meeting with club officials later this month.

The Serie A outfit are expected to request the Argentine join them on loan for the whole of next season with a clause inserted into the deal which would make it mandatory for them to buy him in a year's time.

The deal would be similar in set-up to the one which saw Sweden international - and former Inter star - Zlatan Ibrahimovic join rivals AC Milan from Barcelona for the 2010/11 season before completing a switch earlier this summer.

Nike emerge as key to Wesley Sneijder completing £35.2m transfer from Inter to Manchester United

Sportswear giants prepared to help facilitate move to Old Trafford by closing the gap between United's offer and Dutchman's wage demands, which are threatening to derail talks.

Sportswear giants Nike have emerged as key to Wesley Sneijder completing a £35.2 million move to Manchester United.


The US-based firm sponsor Sneijder and supply the Premier League champions' kit and could be ready to step in and pay a percentage of the Dutchman's wages to ensure the club record transfer goes through.

Nike did the same when Brazilian striker Ronaldo made his move from Barcelona to Inter while their commercial rivals Adidas, who sponsor Real Madrid, were heavily involved in smoothing through the transfers of Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham to the Bernabeu.

United have been trying to secure a deal for Sneijder this week, with chief executive David Gill staying behind from the club's pre-season tour of the US to hold talks with senior Inter officials in Milan.

Goal.com understands that United have indicated they will meet Inter's £35.2m asking price but negotiations have stalled over personal demands. The player's camp have indicated they want around £200,000 a week but United are reluctant to pay more than £170,000 a week.

Although Sir Alex Ferguson declared on Thursday that "there's no interest in Wesley Sneijder at this moment in time for a lot of reasons", sources have said that the deal is still very much alive.

The 27-year-old wants to move to Old Trafford and Ferguson regards the player as the final piece in his summer transfer jigsaw, while new Inter manager Gian Piero Gasperini views Sneijder as expendable as he prepares to field a new 3-4-3 formation next season.


United have lost Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Owen Hargreaves, Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown and John O'Shea from their wage bill but have replaced them with David de Gea, Ashley Young and Phil Jones, and with annual interest payments of £45m per year to meet debt repayments they do not possess the funds of neighbours Manchester City or Chelsea.

Nevertheless, senior Nike officials are keen for Sneijder to move to Old Trafford because United's global brand and reach in markets such as the Far East and Latin America far outweighs that of Inter, who are also sponsored by the commerical giant, and they can help enhance the exposure of the Holland international.

It is increasingly common for major sponsors to play instrumental roles in mega-money transfers of marquee players.

A source close to the negotiations told Goal.com: "If Nike wants you to move then you will move. Nike wants Sneijder to Manchester United because it is easier for them to use him as a commercial icon.

"If United will only pay the same salary as Rooney and there is a gap between what they can offer and what the player wants, then Nike will pay the gap. It was the same with Adidas when they bought Cristiano Ronaldo and Beckham. When top players go to Real Madrid, Adidas are always involved in things financially."

Coincidentally, Nike have opened talks with United over a new kit deal to replace the current £23.5m-a-year package, which has been dwarfed by those recently signed by the French national team and Barcelona.


Source: www.goal.com

Vieira quits for City role

Patrick Vieira has retired from football and taken on a role as football development executive at Manchester City.

Vieira, 35, joined City from Inter Milan in January 2010 to help provide leadership and experience, but his contract expired this summer.

He told the club's official website: "This role is a fantastic new challenge for me and I am very grateful to Manchester City for offering me this opportunity.

"I have a lot to learn about the non-playing areas of the business but there are many very experienced people here for me to learn from and I am confident that I can make a significant contribution to the club's ongoing success.

"I am particularly pleased to be given the opportunity to work with the club's community scheme.

"Everyone at Manchester City - the fans, the staff and the players - have made me and my family feel very welcome here over the past two years and I am very happy to have been given the chance to stay and develop my career away from the pitch."

Brian Marwood, City's chief operations officer, added: "Patrick is the ultimate professional and it is our very great privilege to introduce him as our new football development executive. His experience in the world of football is virtually unparalleled and he will be a huge asset to our club as old and young alike benefit from his knowledge.

"His contribution to world football during his time as a player was extraordinary and he will be remembered as one of the greatest players to grace the Premier League. Whilst it is sad to see Patrick's playing career come to an end, we are delighted that he has chosen to extend his time with Manchester City in this new capacity."

Vieira enjoyed a glittering career for club and country. With Arsenal, he won the Premier League three times and the FA Cup four while, with Inter, he secured four Serie A titles. With France, he won the World Cup in 1998 and Euro 2000.

Source: www.soccernet.espn.go.com