AC Milan has begun talks with representatives for rebel Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez, Italian press reported Thursday. Tevez has fallen out with the English Premier League leader, demanding a transfer in the summer and then being accused of refusing to warm-up when a substitute during a Champions League match against Bayern Munich last month. He has been a bit-part player for City this season, with Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli, Sergio Aguero and David Silva dominating the forward positions. Italian press claim Tevez's agent, Kia Joorabchian, met with Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani Thursday afternoon. Milan is in the market for a replacement for Antonio Cassano, who had to undergo a heart operation after falling ill following Milan's 3-2 win at Roma last month and has been ruled out for the rest of the season. City coach Roberto Mancini said last week that Tevez's decision to return to Argentina without permission had ended any hope the forward had of playing for the Premier League side again. Tevez was previously suspended by City for two weeks and fined a fortnight's wages. Ibrahimovic plays down rift with Guardiola AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played down his rift with former manager Pep Guardiola despite not shaking hands with the Barcelona coach after Wednesday's Champions League encounter. The 3-2 defeat for Milan was Ibrahimovic's first game against Barcelona since his acrimonious departure in 2010, after falling out with Guardiola during his only season in Spain. Ibrahimovic, who scored Milan's first goal, says, “It wasn't a goal against Guardiola but only to make the fans and the team happy,” adding: “I didn't shake hands with my ex-coach but I don't see why it should be considered something so important.” In his recently published autobiography, Ibrahimovic describes a series of rows with players and coaches during his time at Barcelona.
