Tevez is allowed to play for United because he signed his current loan deal before the new Premier League rules came into force last June.
But now the only way for United to keep him at the club is to buy him – and the asking price is £32million.
A Premier League spokesman explained to The Sun: “He would not be eligible to play under the new rules on third-party ownership we introduced in June.
“But the rules are not applied retrospectively so he can play for United under his two-year loan arrangement from 2007.”
