The player's proposed move from West Ham United has been held up by a dispute between West Ham and Tevez's agent Kia Joorabchian over who owns him.

The matter will be resolved in the High Court after Joorabchian issued a writ against West Ham who he says must release Tevez's registration.

"I imagine it will be done before the (August 31) deadline, but we would wait for him anyway if we had to," Ferguson was quoted as saying in newspapers. "We've gone so far, there's no point in stepping back.

"There are few strikers of that quality in the world market."

Newspaper reports suggest Tevez will cost 30 million pounds and Ferguson believes the fact that Joorabchian has gone to the High Court rather than wait for a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is significant.

"I feel more confident now because his agent is confident enough to take it to the High Court," Ferguson said. "You can be embarrassed there if it's not right and you can lose everything.

"So (Joorabchian) must be confident regarding the situation with West Ham."

Ferguson also said Argentine full back Gabriel Heinze would be welcomed back to Old Trafford for next season despite the furore over his reported wish to join arch-rivals Liverpool.

"He's our player that's the important thing," he said. "People want to see players who are committed, that's what Gaby is. He's a bit of a warrior. He will not change once he comes back into the fold and plays a game."

Ferguson said this week that as far as he was concerned Heinze would not be going to Liverpool.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez had confirmed that the club's lawyers were working on the deal after they had a bid for the 29-year-old rejected.

No player has been transferred directly between the two northwest clubs since Phil Chisnall left Old Trafford for Anfield in 1964.

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