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LONDON (AP) -Manchester United is trying to decide whether 35 million pounds ($48.3 million; ?37.1 million) is too much to spend for Carlos Tevez, Liverpool is wondering whether almost half that sum for Robbie Keane was a waste of money.
With English football's two most successful clubs neck-and-neck in the Premier League title race, United has a talent it doesn't want to lose. The Reds are considering how much they might get for a striker who loves the team but has been a major flop.
Tevez is three quarters through a two-year loan deal with Manchester United which is pondering an asking price it considers excessive, bearing in mind the club still doesn't really know where the money would go anyway.
Although Tevez joined the Red Devils from West Ham, his contract is owned by a third party and United doesn't want to run the risk of the sort of disciplinary action that hit the Hammers.
The United fans want the club to take that risk and pay the money.
Watching the Argentina striker hit the Tottenham crossbar with a thunderbolt left foot shot, charge at defenders with his fast, determined runs and harrying Spurs players to try and win the ball, they pleaded with Ferguson to turn the loan deal into a full-time one, despite the cost.
If his phenomenal workrate is a judge, Tevez wants to stay. But reports of his apparent frustration have emerged in his homeland and that might alert other clubs who want to sign him if United continues to dither.
Ferguson has handed the matter over to chief executive David Gill.
"It doesn't frustrate me,'' the United manager said the last time he was asked about the Tevez situation. "I have been used to it over the years. You just have to be patient. It is not as if we have been short of negotiations, but I think we all know they can take a long time, and this one is just going along.
"David has been talking to his agent, so it is best left to him.''
United is in painstaking negotiations with the people who handle Tevez' contract and financial issues.
The Argentina striker arrived in English football along with countryman Javier Mascherano from Brazilian club Corinthians in a deal brokered by a third party. West Ham signed them and wound up in big trouble with the Premier League for breaking its transfer rules.
That trouble won't go away because the Hammers, who avoided relegation because Tevez scored a last minute winner in the last game of the season, face a 35 million pound damages suit from one of the teams that did go down, Sheffield United.
Clearly United wants to get all the legalities sorted out even it if it is prepared to write a big check to sign the striker. But the Scot clearly likes what Tevez brings to the team.
"He's got great enthusiasm,'' Ferguson said. "He's a tiger. He fights for every ball and it's great to have someone with that attitude in your team.''
Even defeated Spurs manager Harry Redknapp praised Tevez for a performance that helped knock his team out of the FA Cup on Saturday.
"If you looked for endeavor and fantastic effort we'd all like to have Tevez in our team,'' the veteran Spurs manager said. "He was an example to everyone the way he ran and chased, how the crowd responded to him. But there are very few of those people around and that's why he's 35 million pound or whatever it is.''
How Keane would love to hear such praise right now.
A Liverpool fan as a teenager, Keane finally arrived at the club this summer in a 19 million pound ($26.2 million; ?20 million) move from Tottenham, having already had spells with Wolves, Coventry, Inter Milan and Leeds.
A little like Tevez, who didn't score for West Ham for 20 games after his arrival in English football, Keane didn't hit the target until his 11th game for the Reds this season. By contrast, the Argentina star has netted nine times in 31 games, many of them coming off the bench.
A day after the United fans cheered Tevez' name at Old Trafford and rival managers praised his performances, Keane was nowhere to be seen at Anfield on Sunday. The only time his name got mentioned was when manager Rafa Benitez was asked why he wasn't playing.
"I decided not to select him (in the 1-1 FA Cup draw with Everton),'' said Benitez, who also didn't use him in the 0-0 draw with Stoke and took him off in the 1-1 Premier League draw against Everton last Monday.
"That was all. He is not injured. I have not seen Robbie but I know that all the players want to be involved with the squad and they may not be happy at being left out.''
Now there is strong speculation that Keane's spell at Liverpool may not last until the end of the transfer window, which has a week to go.
The Irishman, who failed to score in six games for Inter Milan, has not provided the goals Benitez expected when he paid all that money.
While Tevez is the popular star United wants to keep, Keane is the lonely striker Liverpool may no longer want.
With English football's two most successful clubs neck-and-neck in the Premier League title race, United has a talent it doesn't want to lose. The Reds are considering how much they might get for a striker who loves the team but has been a major flop.
Tevez is three quarters through a two-year loan deal with Manchester United which is pondering an asking price it considers excessive, bearing in mind the club still doesn't really know where the money would go anyway.
Although Tevez joined the Red Devils from West Ham, his contract is owned by a third party and United doesn't want to run the risk of the sort of disciplinary action that hit the Hammers.
The United fans want the club to take that risk and pay the money.
Watching the Argentina striker hit the Tottenham crossbar with a thunderbolt left foot shot, charge at defenders with his fast, determined runs and harrying Spurs players to try and win the ball, they pleaded with Ferguson to turn the loan deal into a full-time one, despite the cost.
If his phenomenal workrate is a judge, Tevez wants to stay. But reports of his apparent frustration have emerged in his homeland and that might alert other clubs who want to sign him if United continues to dither.
Ferguson has handed the matter over to chief executive David Gill.
"It doesn't frustrate me,'' the United manager said the last time he was asked about the Tevez situation. "I have been used to it over the years. You just have to be patient. It is not as if we have been short of negotiations, but I think we all know they can take a long time, and this one is just going along.
"David has been talking to his agent, so it is best left to him.''
United is in painstaking negotiations with the people who handle Tevez' contract and financial issues.
The Argentina striker arrived in English football along with countryman Javier Mascherano from Brazilian club Corinthians in a deal brokered by a third party. West Ham signed them and wound up in big trouble with the Premier League for breaking its transfer rules.
That trouble won't go away because the Hammers, who avoided relegation because Tevez scored a last minute winner in the last game of the season, face a 35 million pound damages suit from one of the teams that did go down, Sheffield United.
Clearly United wants to get all the legalities sorted out even it if it is prepared to write a big check to sign the striker. But the Scot clearly likes what Tevez brings to the team.
"He's got great enthusiasm,'' Ferguson said. "He's a tiger. He fights for every ball and it's great to have someone with that attitude in your team.''
Even defeated Spurs manager Harry Redknapp praised Tevez for a performance that helped knock his team out of the FA Cup on Saturday.
"If you looked for endeavor and fantastic effort we'd all like to have Tevez in our team,'' the veteran Spurs manager said. "He was an example to everyone the way he ran and chased, how the crowd responded to him. But there are very few of those people around and that's why he's 35 million pound or whatever it is.''
How Keane would love to hear such praise right now.
A Liverpool fan as a teenager, Keane finally arrived at the club this summer in a 19 million pound ($26.2 million; ?20 million) move from Tottenham, having already had spells with Wolves, Coventry, Inter Milan and Leeds.
A little like Tevez, who didn't score for West Ham for 20 games after his arrival in English football, Keane didn't hit the target until his 11th game for the Reds this season. By contrast, the Argentina star has netted nine times in 31 games, many of them coming off the bench.
A day after the United fans cheered Tevez' name at Old Trafford and rival managers praised his performances, Keane was nowhere to be seen at Anfield on Sunday. The only time his name got mentioned was when manager Rafa Benitez was asked why he wasn't playing.
"I decided not to select him (in the 1-1 FA Cup draw with Everton),'' said Benitez, who also didn't use him in the 0-0 draw with Stoke and took him off in the 1-1 Premier League draw against Everton last Monday.
"That was all. He is not injured. I have not seen Robbie but I know that all the players want to be involved with the squad and they may not be happy at being left out.''
Now there is strong speculation that Keane's spell at Liverpool may not last until the end of the transfer window, which has a week to go.
The Irishman, who failed to score in six games for Inter Milan, has not provided the goals Benitez expected when he paid all that money.
While Tevez is the popular star United wants to keep, Keane is the lonely striker Liverpool may no longer want.
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