Joorabchian plots Brazil exit for Tevez

(GETTY IMAGES)

Carlos Tevez views a return to his native South America to play for Brazil's Corinthians as a prospect two or three years from now, despite suggestions from the country yesterday that his representative, Kia Joorbachian, favours a rapid move there for the Manchester City captain.

Joorabchian was quoted on Brazil's TV Gazeta station saying that he would "like a deal to be done swiftly, though in reality it will probably take a while".

Those comments were an immediate source of concern to City fans, who remain unsure whether Tevez intends to stay at Eastlands beyond the end of the current campaign. But the observations by Joorabchian have been taken out of context: in the course of several hours with TV Gazeta, the Iranian expressed the view that he would see the return of Tevez to Corinthians, whom he left to join West Ham in 2006, as a good way of him closing down his career. The 27-year-old, who has told City's internal media that he is now more settled having withdrawn the transfer request he tabled in December, said last year that he might seek to retire by the age of 30. Tevez has three years remaining on a £200,000-a-week deal at Eastlands.

Joorabchian said: "I can guarantee that Carlos Tevez would be happy to return to Brazil and play for Corinthians," he told the TV station. "I also want three more players to make the club the best in America. My desire would be to get Anderson [from Manchester United], Heurelho Gomes [from Tottenham] and Nilmar [from Villarreal]."