Tevez and Van Bommel stay another day

Roberto Mancini says he does not believe Carlos Tevez will leave Eastlands and Mark van Bommel signs Milan extension.

Tevez
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Tevez hits the first of two goals as City beat Stoke for the second time in four days [EPA]

Carlos Tevez is set to stay at Manchester City, manager Roberto Mancini said after the Argentine scored two goals in a 3-0 English Premier League win over Stoke City at Eastlands.

It comes as Mark van Bommel extends his stay at new Italian champions AC Milan, while Europe-chasing Tottenham Hotspur may part company with striker Jermain Defoe for a second time.

Argentina striker Tevez’s future has been in doubt since he handed in a transfer request in Decmeber.

Even after captaining City to victory in last weekend’s FA Cup final, also against Stoke at Wembley, Tevez suggested he might have to move back to South America for family reasons.

EPL result & fixtures

Tuesday May 17

undefined Man City 3-0 Stoke

Sunday May 22

undefined Aston Villa v Liverpool
undefined Bolton v Man City
undefined Everton v Chelsea
undefined Fulham v Arsenal
undefined Man Utd v Blackpool
undefined Newcastle v West Brom
undefined Stoke v Wigan Athletic
undefined Tottenham v Birmingham
undefined West Ham v Sunderland
undefined Wolves v Blackburn

But Mancini, after seeing Tevez score twice in City’s 3-0 Premier League win on Tuesday, said the forward was happy to stay put.

“He has a five-year contract and has told us he wants to stay,” said Mancini, whose side moved a point above Arsenal into the automatic European Champions League group stage place, with one game remaining.

“He said that before. He never had any problem.”

Tevez’s double strike left the former Manchester United striker level with current Old Trafford forward Dimitar Berbatov at the top of the Premier League goalscoring table.

Mancini added: “Carlos has scored 20 goals this season. Every time we say Carlos is an important player. He is a fantastic striker and a fantastic player for us.”

He said the prospect of playing in European club football’s leading competition would help persuade the 27-year-old Tevez to stay with City, bankrolled by their big-spending owners from Abu Dhabi.

“When we play in the Champions League, probably we will have a better squad. We can buy other good players,” Mancini said.

“Why should he change? I don’t think this will happen.”

Van parks in Milan

Netherlands midfielder Van Bommel has extended his contract with AC Milan until June 2012 while Brazil defender Thiago Silva has signed a new deal until 2016, the Serie A champions said on Wednesday.

Van Bommel only joined Milan in January from Bayern Munich and despite being sent off in his first game, his combative presence became a major asset for the Rossoneri.

The 34-year-old had been linked in the media with a move to England with his short-term deal at Milan running out but he has opted to give Serie A one more year.

Milan are still mulling whether to offer veteran midfield trio Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini new deals.
 
England striker Defoe has said he would consdider leaving Tottenham if he fails to make it back as a regular starter in the side.

Defoe has dropped out of Harry Redknapp’s first-choice team this season as he has struggled for goals, with only four in the league all campaign.

“I want to help the club achieve things, win trophies and get in the Champions League, but when you feel like you are working hard, training hard and being professional, and then for some reason you are not playing, it is difficult,” Defoe told Sky Sports News.

“It is frustrating. At the end of the day I am ambitious. I want to play in every game and score goals, especially when you score goals for a fantastic club like Tottenham.

“I have always been like that from the first day I walked through the door and I truly believe that if I am playing games I will score goals. I think my record shows that.”

Defoe spent a year at Portsmouth in 2008/09 after first signing for Spurs from West Ham in 2004.

Source: News Agencies