City put £50m price tag on their talisman Tevez

(PA)

Manchester City are not willing to contemplate letting Carlos Tevez go for less than £50m this summer, despite the potentially disruptive consequences of him being forced to stay at the club against his will.

City believe the striker's development in the past two years has now placed him in the same price bracket as Chelsea's Fernando Torres, and the fact City are weighing up a price at all offers the first clear indication that they are willing to sell their talisman.

A £50m price tag certainly limits the number of clubs who would be capable of taking the 27-year-old and that may mean a difficult summer ahead with the player, who could feel himself to be priced out of the market.

Italy would seem the most likely destination, but only Internazionale could afford that kind of sum, and the club may need to lay out in so many other areas that City's valuation could prove prohibitive. Inter are understood to have a long-standing interest in Tevez, despite their president, Massimo Moratti, telling La Gazzetta dello Sport two days ago that he has "a good team" that "it would be a shame to dismantle" and that there was "absolutely no connection" with Tevez (below).

Roma, where a new ownership consortium led by Thomas R DiBenedetto has brought wealth, and Juventus are other potential buyers, though neither side will be playing Champions League football next season and the ultimate factor in Tevez's decision may revolve around that issue.

The striker has not played for four weeks, has not yet started full training and, having continued a personal regime of running and non-ball work, appears to be a doubt for the visit of Tottenham next Tuesday. The City manager, Roberto Mancini, has said Tevez must face Spurs to be considered for the FA Cup final. City are still unclear on his intentions, though Mancini may welcome a £50m boost as the cash at his disposal in the summer depends partly on converting winter loans into permanent sales.

A move for the Udinese forward Alexis Sanchez is likely to be the one City attempt to tie up early, with Bolton's Gary Cahill possibly another on the list.