Speculation is growing that Corinthians' crown jewels Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez may both move to The Premiership before the transfer window closes on Thursday.
The Brazilian side sent a delegation of officials to London on Tuesday to meet with investment group MSI in a bid to negotiate the exit of star striker Tevez after he signalled his desire to leave the club following a falling out with the fans.
However it now appears as though Mascherano's future is also up for debate with Corinthians possibly ready to cash in on the Argentine World Cup star after he missed training on Tuesday.
Club president Alberto Dualib has admitted that talks with MSI are likely to clarify the situation of the two stars on Wednesday, with the Argentine media suggesting that the duo are expected to make their way to England.
"This Wednesday is the key day and the negotiations are very advanced," said Dualib.
Former Boca Juniors sensation Tevez has been linked with a number of clubs across the continent ever since it became clear he was desperate to leave Brazil, with Roma, Manchester United, Chelsea, Milan, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid all believed to hold an interest.
The latest club to reportedly join the race is Aston Villa, with Randy Lerner's millions dramatically increasing their pulling power in the transfer market.
However reports in Tevez's home country suggest that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger could be leading the chase for the powerful forward.
Meanwhile defensive midfielder Mascherano appears to be the subject of a tussle between Manchester United and Chelsea, with Sir Alex Ferguson turning his attention to new targets after seemingly missing out on Owen Hargreaves.
Tevez and Mascherano's agent Adrian Ruocco is attending the crunch meetings in London and the situation of the two Argentine internationals should be much clearer in the next 48 hours.
Whilst Tevez had been expected to leave after staying away from the club for the past week, Mascherano has now also gone AWOL with arguments continuing over his availablilty for the glamour friendly against Brazil at The Emirates Stadium on September 3.
Corinthians are not keen for the midfielder to travel for the tie, even though he is suspended domestically, and relations between the parties have reached a new low after coach Emerson Leao confirmed Mascherano had skipped training.
"I began the practice at 8.30 am and there was no sign of Mascherano," coach Leao confirmed to reporters.
"I haven't received any official message from him and the case has been passed to the directors."
