Manchester United’s players were mobbed on arrival in South Korea yesterday, but, increasingly, their pre-season tour to Asia is being dominated by the man who isn’t there. The proposed signing of Carlos Tévez from West Ham United is on hold because of numerous legal complications, with the English champions told yesterday that a resolution may not be reached until the final days of the August transfer window – or possibly even beyond.

After talks between the clubs on Tuesday ended without an agreement on the transfer, it emerged yesterday that the clubs requested that the matter be passed on to Fifa’s dispute resolution chamber for mediation, with Tévez and his “owner”, Kia Joorabchian, eager to secure a move to Old Trafford.

David Gill, the United chief executive, said in Seoul yesterday that he was “very confident this will be resolved in favour of the player and he will be free to achieve his wish”, but the transfer seems highly unlikely to proceed within the time frame that Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, had envisaged.

Fifa, the game’s world governing body, said yesterday that “if a complaint is submitted, our legal department will take a look at it and see whether we are the competent authority to deal with the matter”, with Gill forecasting that even that process may take a fortnight.

Gill suggested that Tévez may be free to train with United before the Barclays Premier League season begins on August 11, but there are growing concerns that the issue could take substantially longer because of the complications surrounding the relationship between the Argentina forward, Joorabchian and West Ham.

Tévez, Joorabchian and, by extension, United believe that the player is free to leave West Ham because of a get-out clause in the contract that he signed on arrival last August from Corinthians, the Brazilian club. West Ham, on the other hand, claim that he signed a four-year contract.

United’s hope is that the player’s registration with West Ham will effectively be cancelled, as happened with Javier Mascherano, his fellow Argentine import, when he joined Liverpool in January. But one difference is that the East London club were willing to offload Mascherano, whereas they may be prepared to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne in the dispute over Tévez.

“Hopefully, the case will be heard on an expedited basis, but we are not sure whether we will have him signed in time for the [start of the] new season,” Gill said. “But based on the discussions we’ve had over the last few weeks, we’re confident this will be resolved and that Tévez will be a major part of Sir Alex’s squad this season.”

Even without Tévez, Ferguson and his players received a rapturous welcome at Seoul’s Incheon airport yesterday before a match against FC Seoul tomorrow. Park Ji Sung, South Korea’s most celebrated player, is not fit to participate in the tour – and could be out until the new year with cruciate ligament damage, suffered in March – but his presence among the travelling party has without question brought an extra dimension to United’s appeal in a country where football is suddenly rivalling baseball in the popularity stakes.

It is another stamp in the passport for the rest of United’s globe-trotters and, while Ferguson, at 65, has seen it all before, he professes to be energised and ready for his 34th season as a manager. “I will never set a date to retire,” he said. “I tried that some years ago and made a mistake. When you get to my age, you have to consider your health. That’s something you can’t control, but I feel good.”

So, too, does Edwin van der Sar, the oldest of United’s players. The goalkeeper admitted being “disappointed” with his form at the end of last season and was also embarrassed during the 2-2 draw with Urawa Red Diamonds in Saitama on Tuesday, when he was wrong-footed by a swerving shot from Hideki Uchidata, but he dismissed suggestions that age was catching up with him at 36, even if it is not yet clear whether he will continue playing when his contract expires next summer.