BREAKING NEWS

-CHELSEA CONFIRM ALEX SIGNING FROM PSV,MALOUDA TO FOLLOW
-TEVEZ DEAL STALLS, GOOD, LUVLY,LEKKER
-MACHERANO HINTS AT MESSI MOVE TO ANFIELD

Fergie signs Tevez
Carlos Tevez last night agreed to join Manchester United in a permanent deal worth more than £20million.
The move will be completed next week, subject to any challenge from West Ham, who still claim to own the registration of the player who saved them from relegation last season.
However, West Ham have no contract with Tevez and his owner, businessman Kia Joorabchian, which has left the player and his representative free to negotiate a transfer with other clubs.
The news, breaking in South America last night, means that United will take their summer buying past the £70m mark, confirming them as the biggest spenders in world football.
Tevez was once fined when playing for Brazil's Corinthians for turning up to an official press conference wearing a Manchester United shirt.
He will fly from Argentina's Copa America base here to join United's pre-season programme.
"He just cannot contain his excitement at the news," a source close to the Argentina camp confirmed. "Tevez has been concerned about his future, worried about where he may play next season and now he is joining the biggest club in the world! This is massive news."
Tevez is best friends with United's Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze and was a guest at their end-of-season title party in a London club.
Days later, Tevez scored at Old Trafford on the final day of the season to give West Ham the 1-0 win that kept them in the Premiership, but his controversial transfer has been the subject of a Premier League investigation, which was concluded on Tuesday.
United were hoping to keep the confirmation of the transfer quiet until the furore died down and the deal will not be officially declared until the middle of next week. The official transfer fee — and wages — are still to be confirmed.
United have already signed Portuguese winger Nani and Brazilian midfielder Anderson on expensive five-year contracts.
The pair join the Premier League champions from Sporting Lisbon and Porto respectively, while England midfielder Owen Hargreaves completed his move from Bayern Munich. The total cost of those deals is £50m.
United have also made Polish keeper Tomasz Kuszczak a full signing after he played last season on loan from second division West Bromwich.
With multi-million pound backing from their American investors, United have been flexing their financial muscle, but the signing of Tevez is their most ambitious.
The little striker has told friends that he is "very excited" about his future, though he has refused to confirm his next destination. Tevez has also been linked with Inter Milan and Arsenal, although West Ham had been hoping to keep him.
Tevez told Sportsmail in an exclusive interview last season: "If I can play at West Ham in such a difficult position, then it's easier to play for a bigger club, with players such as Rooney, Ronaldo or Drogba.
"I would be capable of playing at any English team, because the English game is no longer a problem for me." He then went on to save West Ham, following his controversial "loan" move from Corinthians, a club he joined in a South American transfer record of $22m.
As well as being fined for turning up in an official press conference wearing a United shirt, he was also punished for turning up for a game in Bermuda shorts — and for fighting with team-mates.
Then the goals started and he was branded a hero. The fans copied his braided hair cut, followed his celebration dance craze and bought the replica shirts.
It was claimed that 4,000 were sold at every home game. He was elected captain by his team-mates and he would lead out his team with his baby daughter, Florencia, in his arms, producing a dummy from his sock when he scored a goal.
Then, when a website opened in his name, it broke the previous record held by Ronaldinho by 4,000 hits.
Tevez received 16,000 hits and the local newspapers called it "the birth of Tevezmania". It sounds like a marketing dream for Manchester United.
West Ham last night confirmed the free transfer signing of former England goalkeeper Richard Wright, who left Everton at the end of last season.




-10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT TORRES -EL NINO- Jimmy Rice 04 July 2007 You've heard all the speculation, digested the paper talk and analysed the stats, but just how well do you know our latest signing? Liverpoolfc.tv reveals 10 things you never knew about Fernando Torres:


1. The 23-year-old spent his early years in football as a keeper: "I played in goal until one day I got a couple of teeth knocked out by the ball," he explains. "I decided then that my career between the sticks was finished. Great save, though!"


2. Torres was snapped up by Atletico Madrid at the age of 11 after scoring a whopping 55 goals in his first season for amateur side Rayo 13.


3. It was just three years before the transfer rumours started. Aged only 14, the striker was linked to a host of European clubs, with Arsenal reportedly having a bid rejected.


4. In 1998 Torres was voted the best under-14 player in Europe following some dazzling displays in the Nike Cup. He'd later win player of the tournament at the 2001 European Under-16 Championships and 2002 European> Under-19 Championships.


5. He was just 19 when he was named Atletico captain - the youngest skipper in the club's history.


6. It wasn't long before international recognition came. The striker won his first cap against Portugal in September 2003. Current Spain boss Luis Aragones describes him as a player who "never scores two goals the same".


7. Torres is no stranger to the hairdressers. One fansite has counted 11 different hairdos since his> first-team debut in 2001, including a mullet and a Mohican.


8. Talking of his appearance, the Spanish international is known in his homeland as El Nino, or The Kid, because of his baby-face. 9. Like would-be teammates Daniel Agger and John Arne Riise, Torres also has a penchant for tattoos. The striker has at least three to date, including one of his Atletico, Spain and now Liverpool shirt number, nine, on his right arm.


10. In May 2007 the forward revealed the words "You'll Never Walk Alone written behind his captain's armband during a game against Real Sociedad. Two months> later he signed for Liverpool, leaving the Vicente Calderon with a record of 82 goals in 214 league appearances.


(Thanks reporters for the Article)


-FROM THE KOP END.Stevie G's wedding pictures to Lovely Alexa Curren. I remember Coach blikkies Bismilla lambasting me back in the day. His words "Mayet YOU are a Alipor Elvis. Once a Alipor Footballer meets a chick Thats the end of his career. I wonder if this applies to Stevie G

CLASSIC INSULTS
Yet another Australian witticism with this time porky Sri Lankan batsman Arjuna Ranatunga the victim. Shane Warne, trying to tempt the batsman out of his crease mused what it took to get the plump character to get out of his crease and drive. Wicketkeeper Ian Healy piped up,"Put a Mars Bar on a good length. That should do it."