City demand cash for Tevez as they hold Milan at bay

Manchester City are standing firm in their insistence that Carlos Tevez will not be made available for loan.

Officials from AC Milan are set to meet with representatives from City tomorrow to discuss a possible deal for the Argentinian striker.

Milan have proposed taking the 27-year-old on a free loan in January with a promise to buy him permanently in the summer. Yet City have long said they are only interested in selling the player, and manager Roberto Mancini underlined that stance yesterday.

He said: “Milan know they can’t get him on loan; they know it very well. But if they want to buy Carlos, that is OK. We hope that Carlos can find a good solution for him, and that he can come back and play football. But they can’t have him on loan. This is sure, 100 per cent. The best solution for us is to sell him.”

Tevez remains in Argentina ahead of a possible move when the transfer window opens next month. Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with the former West Ham and Manchester United forward, but Milan would appear the front-runners – if they can find a deal to suit City.

City, who host Stoke City this evening, have a number of players out on loan, including high-earning strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, and Mancini does not believe that is ideal. He said: “When Manchester City buy a player, they have to pay a lot of money. But when we want to sell them, they have to go on loan. This is not good for the club and it is not correct for the other players.

“Manchester City paid Carlos a lot of money three years ago. It is correct that one club – it could be Milan, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain – pay Carlos for his value. This is correct.”

Meanwhile, Manchester United have complained to the Football Association about the number of tickets they have been granted for next month’s FA Cup tie at City. Under FA rules, United should be entitled to an allocation equivalent to 15 per cent of the ground capacity at the Etihad Stadium, which would be 7,100 tickets. Instead, City have offered 5,500 – exactly the same as United were granted for the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final two years ago.

But while that tie was agreed relatively quickly, United are digging their heels in and demanding their full entitlement this time. City are refusing on the grounds that it would constitute a safety risk, so the FA have been asked to intervene.