Negredo set to complete City move

Subject to passing a medical Alvaro Negredo will become a Manchester City player, joining the club for an initial fee in the region of £20million.

There has been no official word from City as yet but Sevilla announced the move earlier this afternoon and a farewell press conference was held where Sevilla President Jose Maria del Nido said of Negredo:

"Manchester City are buying a great player, the top-scoring Spaniard in La Liga," Del Nido said. "This is a big deal for Sevilla, the second most important in our history after we sold Daniel Alves [to Barcelona], and the player will sign the contract of his life. Everyone should be happy; it is a great deal for all three parties."

Shuddertothink profiled Negredo a couple of weeks ago and he summised that it was a good move for City in terms of the numbers and a fit for Pellegrini's system (more of which here and here from Zac MacPhee) yet there are concerns over both the size of the fee and his age, given that he is already 28 years old.

The signing, along with those already of Jesus Navas and Fernandinho, indicates a pattern this summer whereby City have delayed a focus on youth to bring in players who can impact over the next two or three seasons which provides more time for younger players and signings to be brought on and developed.