Carlos Tévez, the Argentina forward, has threatened to quit Manchester United unless his long-term future at Old Trafford is resolved soon.

Tévez accused United last night of dragging their heels over the offer of a permanent deal and angrily dismissed claims that he had rejected a lucrative contract from the club.

Although Tévez, whose two-year loan agreement expires at the end of the season, has indicated that he wants to stay with the English, European and world champions, the forward said that he would have little choice but to leave if another club come in for him in the meantime.

The news is likely to alert Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Arsenal, all of whom have been linked with moves for the Argentina player. “I want to stay but the club have not made any offer,” Tévez, 24, said. “I’ve been waiting for them for a year and a half. If I have to quit the club, I want to quit on good terms. Now all clubs are on an equal footing. If a club comes to me and offers me a five-year deal, I will accept it for peace of mind.”

Tévez is particularly aggrieved at claims that a permanent deal has still to be struck because he has been demanding parity with Wayne Rooney, the England forward, who earns more than £100,000 a week, but his outburst is unlikely to be well received by Sir Alex Ferguson.

The United manager has struggled in recent weeks to conceal his frustration over the role in the negotiation process of Kia Joorabchian, the businessman who owns the economic rights to Tévez, and the matter may come to a head.

“I didn’t like him [Ferguson] saying I didn’t like the offer I was made because neither my agent [Joorabchian] nor me were given one,” Tévez said. “I don’t know anything on my future. United know they must pay if they want me to stay.”

Therein lies the problem. Although Ferguson is a firm admirer of Tévez and wants to keep the player, United appear reluctant to match Joorabchian’s £32 million valuation.

United have already paid between £6 million and £10 million to “loan” Tévez for two seasons and that sum would be incorporated into the final figure, but so far there appears to be a clear discrepancy between how much more United are willing to pay and what Joorabchian is demanding, especially in light of the worsening economic climate and with Tévez behind Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov in the pecking order.

The reality is that Tévez could well leave Old Trafford, although both parties retain a hope that an agreement can be reached. “It bothers me that I have to start messing about with the fans who give me their affection in each game,” Tévez said. “The club know this, but still I haven’t received an offer. I will sign my last contract and then I’ll go back to Boca Juniors in four or five years.”

Ferguson has raised the stakes in the title race by questioning whether Liverpool can handle the pressure. United trail the Barclays Premier League leaders by seven points, albeit with two games in hand, but Ferguson says that the Merseyside club’s recent lack of experience of title chases could prove their undoing.

“There’s no doubt that in the second half of the season, they [Liverpool] will get nervous,” the United manager told Inside United magazine. “They’re going into the unknown and if you make mistakes, you get punished.”