Manchester City are poised to announce the signing of Nicolas Otamendi from Liga BBVA giants Valencia for £32 million, Mirror Sport reports.
The 27-year-old Argentina international has reportedly undergone a medical and the deal to make him the club’s fifth summer signing could be announced on Thursday.
Raheem Sterling, Fabian Delph, Enes Unal and Patrick Roberts have all been recruited by manager Manuel Pellegrini during the current transfer window, and the club’s spending spree is set to reach £95 million once the Otamendi deal is made official.
City have beaten fierce local rivals Manchester United to the defender’s signature, with Louis van Gaal heavily linked to the South American earlier in the window [Mirror], and he will increase the options in that department of the ptch at the Etihad Stadium. Otamendi will give Pellegrini something of a selection headache this season as he looks to build a squad capable of wrestling the league title away from Chelsea.
With Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala starting the season in fine form, competition for places at the heart of the defence is set to increase as Otamendi, as well as the experienced Martin Demichelis, will be waiting in the wings for their chance to impress the Chilean manager.
Focus will also be on whether the Citizens are able to land a sixth signing before the transfer window closes early next month, as their pursuit of highly-rated Belgian international playmaker Kevin De Bruyne could go right down to deadline day before it’s resolved.
Wolfsburg are keen to retain the services of the 24-year-old, and reports in Mail Sport earlier in the week claimed they were ready to offer him a new contract worth £150,000-a-week.
However, talks between the two clubs are reportedly ongoing, and last season’s Bundesliga runners-up are said to be holding out for at least £56 million, which would be a club-record fee for City.
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