Ferguson prepared to wait for Tevez

By Martyn Herman

LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said he would wait for as long as it takes to sign Argentine forward Carlos Tevez.

The player's proposed move from West Ham United has been held up by a dispute between West Ham and Tevez's agent Kia Joorabchian over who owns him.

The matter will be resolved in the High Court after Joorabchian issued a writ against West Ham who he says must release Tevez's registration.

"I imagine it will be done before the (August 31) deadline, but we would wait for him anyway if we had to," Ferguson was quoted as saying in newspapers. "We've gone so far, there's no point in stepping back.

"There are few strikers of that quality in the world market."

Newspaper reports suggest Tevez will cost 30 million pounds and Ferguson believes the fact that Joorabchian has gone to the High Court rather than wait for a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is significant.

"I feel more confident now because his agent is confident enough to take it to the High Court," Ferguson said. "You can be embarrassed there if it's not right and you can lose everything.

"So (Joorabchian) must be confident regarding the situation with West Ham."