Tevez can break free from owners to stay at Man U

London, May 15 (ANI): Chris Heaton-Harris, president of the EU's powerful Sports Intergroup, which deals with sporting matters across the continent, has said that Carlos Tevez can break free from his owners and stay at Manchester United.

United are refusing to pay 26million pound fee demanded by a consortium led by Kia Joorabchian, who owns Tevez, as the row over Tevez's future intensified and the European Parliament prepared to get involved.

East Midlands MEP Heaton-Harris is an influential figure in Brussels on sports issues and admitted he has been shocked by the Tevez saga, The Sun reports.

"It is unique and bizarre that an entity, rather than a club, owns a player. In employment terms, Carlos Tevez has a contract himself with this company. But if he went to the European Commission and said he wanted out of it, he would get European support," Harris said.

"It is just an employment contract. You can't keep a person to a contract that he doesn't want to continue in. Under European law, he has the right to break this contract," he added.

There is, of course, no evidence that Tevez wants to break from his owners or Joorabchian, who is also his adviser. They agreed a loan deal with United two years ago. It had the proviso that, if United wanted to keep the player, they would have to pay 26 million pound for him.

United have not exercised that option, so Joorabchian and his consortium say that it is time to look elsewhere.

Sources close to the player insist he does not want to stay at the club and that he is happy for his 'owners' to decide what his future should be.

But United boss Alex Ferguson disputed this on Wednesday night, insisting Tevez wanted to remain and the club had made him a new offer. (ANI)