Boca Juniors president Daniel Angelici says he is "optimistic" that Carlos Tevez will soon return to the club and begin a third spell with the club.
Tevez left Boca 12 months ago to sign a lucrative two-year contact with Shanghai Shenhua, and can exercise a release clause this month, one year into his deal.
The Argentine striker flew back to Buenos Aires last week after a disappointing season in China and according to Angelici, the 33-year-old's agent Adrian Ruocco is negotiating with Shenhua to terminate his contract this month.
"I would like to have him today," Angelici told TYC Sports. "But he is under contract with Shanghai and we have to be respectful. Adrian, his representative, is negotiating.
"We spoke to Tevez and we know what he wants and he knows what Boca wants.
"Boca doesn't have the [release] clause for him to be able to return to the club [Boca] but rather the player does.
"He [Tevez] is very calm and pensive. He is evaluating it. We are going to give him the time he needs so that his agent can negotiate with the club [Shanghai]. I'm optimistic but we have to wait."
Injuries and a lack of fitness limited the former Manchester United player to just 16 league appearances for Shenhua, where he scored four goals and set up five more.
Boca, who are top of the Superliga standings, level on 24 points with San Lorenzo, are looking to strengthen their attack after losing Argentina international striker Dario Benedetto to an ACL injury last month. Argentine striker Ramon Dario Abila, nicknamed "Wanchope," will return to Boca before the end of the year after his six-month loan spell at Huracan.
"With Wanchope's arrival and if we get Carlos [Tevez], we will be OK up front," Angelici said. "If not we will seek another alternative."
Tevez played for Boca from 2001 to 2004 before embarking on a successful career in the Premier League and in Serie A. He returned to his boyhood club in 2015, where he scored 25 goals in 56 games.
Tevez was linked with a return to Boca this summer and admitted that he missed the club and the fans.
He recently posted a photograph of the Libertadores Cup, a title he won with Boca in 2003, on his twitter page with two love emoticons.
Boca are eager to lift the Libertadores Cup next year, a trophy they have not captured since 2007.