Both Manchester City and Arsenal are preparing to enter negotiations over a potential swap deal involving Carlos Tevez and Robin van Persie according to the Guardian, with both players seemingly unsettled at their respective clubs.
Tevez – who found himself embroiled in a bitter disagreement with manager Roberto Mancini after refusing to come on as a substitute against Bayern Munich – is desperate to leave Eastlands, although many have suggested that a switch abroad is the most likely destination.
Manchester City officials now believe that they would be lucky to get £20 million for a player Mancini has revealed the club are “finished” with, following his conduct over the past few months. Tevez has persistently remained an unsettling influence at Eastlands, culminating in the club suspending Tevez for two weeks following the incident against Bayern Munich.
Reportedly, Van Persie remains Mancini’s primary target for the summer, although with Tevez’s position at Manchester City now untenable, it is believed a deal may be brought forward to the January transfer window.
Whilst Van Persie has been in excellent form for the Gunners this season, a fact not lost on his current boss Arsene Wenger, his club has now gone six years without a trophy. With the Dutchman quickly establishing himself as one of the top talents in world football, his ambitions may stretch above and beyond a club that currently remain
Van Persie recently refused to enter contract negotiations with Arsenal, suggesting that whilst he still has two years left on his deal there is no rush, but skeptics have suggested he simply refuses to commit to a club that are seemingly on the downturn.
“I still have almost two years left here, so for the moment that’s fine,” Van Persie revealed. “But I don’t know, we will have to look.”
The path between Arsenal and Manchester City is a heavily trodden one, with Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri all making journey in recent years. With the precedent set, and Manchester City seemingly more capable of mounting a serious challenge for genuine silverware than the Gunners are, such a move would seem a very appealing one to Van Persie.
Mancini is reportedly unwilling to allow Tevez to get the move to a big club that he so desperately craves, and with Arsenal seemingly a waning influence in English football, such a deal would potentially represent good value for both clubs.
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