Agent claims to raise 100m pounds to buy players

Pini Zahavi is masterminding a £100 million transfer fund that will set off a revolution in the world transfer market, according to Soccer Investor. The global transfer strategy is called The Hero Fund and Zahavi is to target the best emerging players and acquire control of them. "The fund is not quite complete but we are aiming to raise around £100 million in order to buy shares in players. They've asked me to find the players and act as advisor to the fund. We will look mainly for young footballers who can develop and eventually play at the highest level. Some players will stay at their clubs and some will move," Zahavi confirmed.

Although reports suggest that the new scheme is being funded from Russia, Zahavi insisted the scheme "is being organised by some guys in London. The plan is absolutely legal. Already around 80% of players in South America are partly owned by investors as well as the clubs they play for." There will be concern in English football at having agents deciding when and where a player will be transferred. It is believed the Hero Fund gives Zahavi "sole discretion" on how the funds are used and when players are bought and sold.

On Friday River Plate, of the Argentine First Division, announced that they had sold stakes in five of their most promising players to unnamed investors for £6.8 million. According to the Independent, Zahavi is thought to have brokered the deal worth £6.8 million. Such ownership arrangements - similar to the one that saw Media Sports Investments move Argentine stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to English Premier League club West Ham, are not illegal - either in South America or Britain. The players involved at River are Gonzalo Higuain, 18, Augusto Fernandez, 20, Juan Antonio, 18 and Mateo Musacchio, 16 and Fernando Beluschi.