Carlos Tevez has tested Manchester City's resolve to keep him at Eastlands for the second time in seven months by announcing he wants to leave the FA Cup holders.
The Argentina international, whom manager Roberto Mancini only days ago insisted would be staying at City, reopened the long-running saga over his future by informing the chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak that he needs to leave for personal reasons this summer. Tevez had pushed for a move prior to the January transfer window when his advisor, Kia Joorabchian, blamed a breakdown in communications with City's chief executive Garry Cook for his disillusionment. Now the 27-year-old has cited a wish to be closer to his two daughters, Katie and Florencia, who live with their mother and the striker's estranged partner Vanesa in Argentina.
Despite months of speculation City have yet to receive an offer for their captain, whose weekly wage in excess of £250,000 makes him the highest paid player in the Premier League but puts him out of reach for most suitors, including Internazionale. The City hierarchy told Tevez and Joorabchian in December that he would be allowed to leave the club only on their terms and that position is unchanged, meaning last season's highest goalscorer is adopting a high-risk strategy to find a buyer willing to meet his employer's estimated £40m valuation plus his personal terms.
In a statement, released while Tevez is playing for Argentina in the Copa América, the former Manchester United player said: "It is with great regret that I have to inform Manchester City of my wish to leave the club. I would like to state that I have great respect for the club, its supporters and the owner, Sheik Mansoor, who has been nothing other than respectful to me.
"I hope that the people understand the difficult circumstances I have been living under the past 12 months, in regards to my family. Living without my children in Manchester has been incredibly challenging for me. Everything I do, I do for my daughters, Katie and Florencia. I need to be closer to them and to spend more time with them. I need them to be happy because my life is about them now. I need to be in a place where they can adapt.
"Being captain of Manchester City, qualifying for the Champions League, winning the FA Cup and finishing as top-scorer last season has made me very proud. I hope that most of the City fans will understand that I have given them my all on the pitch and that my dedication to the city cause has been 100 per cent on the pitch. I hope I have done my bit to help City continue their progress towards their ambition to be champions of England and to advance in the Champions League. I have no doubt that the players and management of City will achieve great success in the future."
Speaking at the weekend, and following the collapse of a proposed exchange deal with Internazionale involving Samuel Eto'o, Mancini was confident that Tevez's future remained in Manchester. The City manager said: "Yes, of course Tevez will stay, he is a fantastic player. There was talk of an exchange with Eto'o, but Inter did not want to sell."
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