Corinthians fail to sign Tevez

Corinthians have confirmed they will be unable to sign Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez before the Brazilian transfer window closes.

The Sao Paulo-based club have pulled out of negotiations to sign Argentina striker Tevez, with the clubs unable to finalise the deal before Brazil’s transfer deadline of Wednesday 20 July.

Despite City manager Roberto Mancini claiming on Monday that a fee had been agreed for the 27-year-old, a formal statement attributed to Corinthians director of football Edu Gasper confirmed the transfer has fallen through.

Corinthians are hopeful of renewing negotiations in January.

“The director of Sport Club Corinthians Paulista comes forward officially to communicate the impossibility of the signing of Argentinian forward Carlos Tevez,” the statement read.

“While recognising Manchester City’s efforts and those of everyone involved, there’s no more time for the signing to be finalised, considering that the window to sign players from abroad ends on Wednesday, July 20.”

“We are aware of the dream our fans had of having this player at Corinthians again and we look forward to him being with us in the near future.”

A major issue in negotiations is believed to have been the structure of the fee – Corinthians had hoped the reported fee of 40 million euros could be paid in instalments, but this condition was rejected by City.

It is not yet known if the collapse of the Tevez deal will prevent City from continuing their pursuit of Atletico Madrid forward Sergio Aguero.

Tevez, who requested a transfer as he seeks to move closer to his daughters in Argentina, remains under contract at City until 2014.

He captained the team last season, finishing as the club’s leading goalscorer.