Carlos Tevez will join Manchester United 'this week' according to a source closely involved with the dispute. After lawyers for Just Sports Inc and MSI, the companies that claim ownership the Argentina forward, served a writ on the club last Wednesday the affair appeared to be heading for the High Court. But Observer Sport understands all sides wish to avoid that route.West Ham have met the Premier League at least twice since Wednesday to try to find a resolution. On Friday morning Dave Richards, the League's chairman, agreed a proposal with the club that will end the matter if it is sanctioned by the Premier League board when it sits tomorrow. By Tuesday it should be known if the 'peace deal' has been agreed to, with all sides hopeful that it will be.
This is why Kia Joorabchian, who represents JSI and MSI, was reported yesterday as saying that the matter could be settled away from the courts. However, he has not been made aware of the proposal's details. One theory is that West Ham will seek compensation before agreeing to release the player's registration, although this could be a token amount of around £100,000.