Reports emerged on Saturday evening that Tevez had submitted a formal request last Monday, even though neither party has made any official comment. Tevez is believed to have taken the action amid growing turmoil in his private life, although it is not yet known whether City will accept his request or not. It is not known exactly what Tevez's plans are. However, he desperately misses his two daughters who are back home in Argentina, and returning to South America is one option, as is retirement, even though in an interview with City's official club magazine published earlier this week, Tevez insisted he had no such intention. There is also a deteriorating relationship with Blues boss Roberto Mancini. The Italian may have made Tevez his captain at the start of the season but there is no particular bond between the pair. A short break in Argentina did little to silence rumours about them both not getting on while Tevez's reaction after he was substituted against Bolton last week was not that of a man who is at one with his manager. The pair exchanged angry words on the touchline, with Tevez clearly annoyed at Mancini's decision to replace him with James Milner despite the fact he had scored the only goal. Subsequently, Tevez did not attend the players' Christmas party. If Tevez does leave, it will blow a massive hole in City's Premier League title challenge. Although the striker missed today's win at West Ham due to suspension, he has been a hugely influential figure for the Blues since his controversial move from Manchester United in 18 months ago. His winner against Bolton was his 39th goal in 60 appearances for the Blues, emphasising just how much they rely upon his output. As doubts remain over the maturity of Mario Balotelli in the wake of the Italian's petulant reaction to being substituted for his own good at Upton Park and Emmanuel Adebayor seemingly destined to leave in January after failing to make the bench today, losing Tevez would be a massive blow. It would also be unpopular among the City faithful, who have taken the 26-year-old to their hearts and would be distraught if Tevez was merely moving on to another club. At present, it is uncertain whether that will be the case, although there are only a select few in Europe who could afford the player if City were to demand the full market rate. Tevez's controversial third-party ownership status - that caused West Ham so many problems when he arrived in England in 2005 - has now been scrapped, meaning that City could demand any fee they wish.
