Manchester City are determined to fight any FIFA ruling that allows Carlos Tevez a free transfer.

The Mail on Sunday says the next installment in the Tevez saga will occur tomorrow when he is due to return to City's Carrington training ground after an unauthorised trip to Argentina last Monday.

But the club are concerned that he could apply to use Article 15 of the FIFA regulations, which allows a player who has been banished from the first team to terminate his contract under 'sporting just cause' if he appears in fewer than 10 per cent of his club's games in a season.

To avoid that, City could be forced to pick Tevez for another four full games this term if they are not to lose him for nothing, despite manager Roberto Mancini's insistence that the player was finished at the club after he refused to come off the bench to warm up during a Champions League match at Bayern Munich last month.

City will defend themselves with the contention that, by being absent from training last week without permission after flying to Argentina, as well as missing other sessions, the striker has left himself short of the fitness required for him to be considered for selection.