I think Tevez will be leaving soon, admits Magnusson

It had been thought the row over who owns the Argentina striker might force his proposed £20million move to be delayed until January.

However, Magnusson told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet: "At the moment, he's our player but he wants to play in the Champions League. I think he will be leaving soon."

His comments come on the day that FIFA were expected to give the green light for their troubleshooters to take on the Tevez affair.

Officials from football's world governing body were due at a meeting with lawyers from the Football Association and Premier League in Zurich where the simmering row over the Argentine's ownership will be discussed.

West Ham and Tevez's representatives are at loggerheads over the player's Upton Park contract and need the issue resolved before he can move to United.

Both sides believe the paperwork should be passed on to FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber, which has specialised in sorting out such arguments - without the need for court action - since its formation in 2002.

But FIFA must first decide if the Tevez row warrants the DRC's intervention and should not be purely a matter for the English football authorities.

Sources say a DRC move is highly likely because the Premier League, who were in close contact with the FA throughout their discussions on the matter, have so far failed to find a solution.

The only English representative of the DRC - which is made up of a panel of experts drawn evenly from worldwide clubs and players' unions - is Mick McGuire of the Professional Footballers' Association, who believes the Tevez case could even be fast-tracked by FIFA.

McGuire said: "When English football sneezes, everyone catches a cold, so because of the high-profile nature of our country it could work in their favour."

The DRC's next meeting is on 9 August, which means it is possible for Tevez's move to Old Trafford to be sealed before the start of the season on 11 August.

The FA will also use today's meeting to urge FIFA to change their rules on the third-party ownership of players to avoid a repeat of the Tevez affair.

As revealed previously, chief executive Brian Barwick and the FA hierarchy fear the existing system is open abuse.

"Our stance is that we think players being owned by third parties makes it very difficult to regulate the game," said an FA spokesman.

"This practice is widespread in South America. If it is going to work it has to be something FIFA leads on."

United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz believes the West Ham striker is just what the Old Trafford club need.

He said today: "We believe that a player like Carlos can give us a great boost, especially in that striking area. We need one more player, there's no doubt about that."