Manchester City and Liverpool are among five leading clubs who have agreed to pay the £25 million needed to sign Carlos Tévez this summer amid growing uncertainty over the Argentina striker’s future at Manchester United, The Times has learnt.

Another English club and two foreign clubs, one of which is understood to be Real Madrid, have also offered to match the fee that Kia Joorabchian, who fronts the companies that own Tévez’s economic rights, is demanding for the player, but that United have so far balked at paying.

Tévez’s two-year “lease” deal at Old Trafford expires at the end of next month, but while David Gill, the United chief executive, appeared to hint this week that they would finally meet the “fixed fee” agreed with Joorabchian when the striker moved to Manchester in August 2007, the forward seems to have decided that he has played his last game for the club.

Although United supporters would be horrified by the thought of Tévez moving to Liverpool or City, the player is open to the idea. Tévez’s pride has been hurt in recent weeks by United’s refusal to confirm that they will keep him at the price stipulated, with the player making what could be considered a number of farewell gestures to United’s fans.

Despite United’s attempts to drive down the price, having already paid £10 million to loan the player for two years, Joorabchian is refusing to lower the £25 million price originally agreed with the club, knowing that there are other clubs willing to pay it. Either way, Tévez’s future with United is expected to be resolved in days.

The prospect of Tévez joining Liverpool would be particularly galling for United supporters. Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, wants to sign a forward who will not only give his team an added goal threat, but also the energy to complement Fernando Torres and believes that Tévez fits the bill, a coup that Javier Mascherano, Tévez’s Argentina team-mate, is hoping will come off. “I hope we can count on him,” Mascherano said. “He would be great for us. However, it will be a tough fight because so many clubs are interested in him.”

Gill has not given up hope of United signing Tévez, although if they do agree to pay the fee, it remains to be seen how the player will react. “It is in everyone’s interests to be resolved and I think it will be pretty quickly,” Gill said.

As befitting his role as Manchester United captain in Rome, Ryan Giggs spoke yesterday on behalf of his team-mates by putting aside the disappointment of Wednesday’s defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League final and expressing a determination to make amends next season.

“It’s been a fantastic season and we’ve achieved so much,” he said. “We just fell short at the final hurdle. To win three leagues on the trot is unbelievable and we’ll be looking to make it four next year and, hopefully, three successive Champions League finals. That’s what great teams do, they bounce back. We’re a great team.”