Manchester United hope to discover this week whether they have successfully negotiated a way through the intricate process necessary to make Carlos Tevez the fourth high-profile signing of a summer of heavy transfer expenditure at Old Trafford.
While Sir Alex Ferguson has been holidaying on the French Riviera, United's chief executive, David Gill, has been trying to find a way to lure Tevez away from West Ham. Ferguson has been looking for another striker after signing Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson for around £50m and information has reached Old Trafford that Tevez wants to leave Upton Park for a bigger club.
The Argentinian, West Ham's player of the year, was offered to United last summer along with his compatriot Javier Mascherano but the club were deterred by the complicated issues surrounding his ownership. United's reluctance to go ahead with the deal was vindicated when the Premier League charged West Ham with breaking rules on third-party influence and fined them £5.5m as well as seriously considering docking points.
Any transfer to Old Trafford would depend on those issues being resolved but United are increasingly optimistic of pulling off the deal and making another statement of their intent not to allow Chelsea to re-establish themselves as England's top team next season.
United's confidence is justified by the fact that Mascherano was allowed legally to move to Liverpool in January, but if they wish to purchase Tevez outright, they must pay considerably more than the £12m that was reported at the weekend.
There is also strong interest from abroad, with Internazionale heading the list of suitors. Tevez's representatives were in Milan last week to discuss a potential move to San Siro. Ownership issues would be less of a concern for the Italian champions than for Premiership clubs but Tevez would look favourably upon a move that takes him to one of England's leading clubs.