Manchester City are moving closer to the permanent signing of Valencia defender Nicolás Otamendi with the 27-year-old already having travelled to Manchester to undergo a medical, according to Sky Sports.
Sky claim that a fee in excess of £31million has been agreed between the two clubs, though rumours that Eliaquim Mangala could be involved in a partial swap deal have come to nothing after the City defender said he did not want to leave the club on loan.
With a five-year deal thought to have been all but agreed, Otamendi's transfer could be completed by the end of Tuesday or Wednesday, meaning he could be available for City's journey to Everton on Sunday 23rd.
Business as usual in the blue half of Manchester
Should all go ahead as expected, the Argentina international - who has 25 caps and played in this summer's Copa América tournament - will take City's summer spending past the £80million mark.
Following the high-profile signings of Raheem Sterling, Patrick Roberts, Fabian Delph and Enes Ünal in recent weeks, Citizens boss Manuel Pellegrini will be fully aware of the mounting pressure on him to bring success in both the long and short-term.
City have recouped some cash from the departures of players such as Álvaro Negredo, Matija Nastasić and Edin Džeko, but their transfer activity is yet another indication of the ever-growing financial firepower of the Premier League.
Otamendi's story so far
Born in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, Otamendi began his career with local side Vélez Sarsfield, before following the well-trodden path from South America to Portugal with FC Porto in 2010.
After four seasons, more than a century of appearances and three league titles in Portugal, he signed a five-year contract with Valencia last season in a deal worth around €12million for his former employers.
And despite not featuring in the 2014 World Cup, he played in all but one of Argentina's matches in this year's Copa América and was eventually named in the Team of the Tournament as his side made the final.
Pressure on Otamendi and his new team-mates
Having been heavily linked with rivals and fellow big-spenders Manchester United throughout the summer, there will be a huge amount of pressure on Otamendi to hit the ground running during his first season at the Etihad.
For City, nothing less than a Premier League trophy and significant progress in the Champions League will do.