Manchester City are set to unveil Mario Balotelli to take their summer spending past the £100million mark.
The Inter Milan striker is on the verge of signing a five-year deal at Eastlands to complete his £24m switch.
Balotelli's arrival is likely to be confirmed today after he agreed a contract worth around £65,000 a week.
The 19-year-old will now compete for a place in the starting line-up with Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor, with Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz and Robinho all heading for the exit.
On Wednesday night, when asked about Balotelli during the Serie A fixture presentation at the Milan Stock Exchange, Inter director Ernesto Paolillo said: 'We are in the Stock Exchange Building where the basic rule is to announce business when it is final. A few things have yet to be sorted out but we are on the right road.'
According to Italian newspaper Gazetta Dello Sport, Inter's legal chief Vittorio Rigo was in Manchester earlier this week to finalise the deal. He is expected to be joined by Balotell's agent Mino Raiola at Eastlands today.
In an interview with Gazetta, City boss Roberto Mancini said: 'Good players do well wherever and he can demonstrate his value in England.
'We are looking for a striker and he is one of the those we have been following. As a player I like him - I gave him his debut in Serie A because he has talent and like many of the Inter players I know him well.
'It's not true that he has a difficult character - at that age everybody has made mistakes. Mario is a good lad.'
Mancini has already signed £24m David SIlva, £28 Yaya Toure, £17m Aleksandar Kolarov and £10m Jerome Boateng this summer.
Despite Balotelli's volatile reputation in Italy, Inter team-mate Marco Materazzi has defended the youngster.
He said: 'When you are young you make mistakes. I think he has made mistakes becaue of his talent which has made him feel stronger than he is.
'But I believe he knows he has made mistakes because otherwise after our fight he wouldn't have texted me during the summer and said "Where are you big brother?"'
'I think we have reached the stage where it's better for everybody. Mario picked the agent he has because he believed he was going to leave Inter. Inter paid zero for him – it's a question of balance.
'However I'm sure that when he leaves (owner} Massimo Moratti will be heartbroken because he has always been his biggest fan and I'm sure Mario will cry as well the day he leaves.'
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