Joleon Lescott is on course to become the second most expensive defender in British football history, having passed a medical ahead of his proposed £22m move to Manchester City.
The 27-year-old underwent a series of tests at a private clinic in Manchester yesterday afternoon, with City anxious for assurances over the knee problem that delayed the England international's £5m move to Everton from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2006. Plans to announce the defender's arrival at Eastlands last night, however, were delayed due to what City officials described as a minor hitch in his release from Goodison Park.
Lescott, a virtual ever-present at Everton despite those initial injury fears, has agreed personal terms on a deal that will double his £47,000-a-week salary at Everton and eventually rise to £24m with add-ons. Wolves will receive a £2.55m windfall from the transfer as they are entitled to 15% of any profit made by the Goodison club.
Only Rio Ferdinand among English defenders has cost more than Lescott, who will be joined at Eastlands by the former Arsenal and Barcelona left-back, Sylvinho, on a 12-month contract, and his departure will end a saga that has destroyed relations between the respective managers, David Moyes and Mark Hughes.
Moyes hopes to move on from the Lescott episode in the next 48 hours with the signing of the Russia winger, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, and Valencia's combative midfielder Ever Banega. He has also ear-marked the Portsmouth's Sylvain Distin as Lescott's replacement in a £5m deal.
The Everton manager wants four additions to his squad before next week's transfer deadline and hopes to commence his trolley dash with the signing of Bilyaletdinov for a fee of around £10m. The Locomotiv Moscow left winger passed a medical last night and should become the club's first permanent signing of the summer once personal terms have been agreed on a five-year contract.
Negotiations between the 24-year-old and Everton are taking place in Hamburg, as Bilyaletdinov does not have a visa to enter the UK. A work permit is unlikely to be a problem as the winger is an established Russia international with 28 caps.
Goodison officials, who secured a work permit for Banega on Friday, have insisted negotiations are continuing with Valencia and that the player could arrive to complete the deal this week.
Distin has emerged as Moyes' leading candidate to fill the void left by Lescott in the Everton defence, with the Goodison club hopeful a £5m bid will tempt Portsmouth to sell.