Owen Hargreaves on brink of joining Manchester City on pay-as-you-play deal
Former Bayern Munich star who was deemed surplus to requirements by Sir Alex Ferguson is set to join Roberto Mancini's big spending outfit after passing a three-hour medicalAug 31, 2011 10:08:00 AM
By Rob Stewart
Injury-jinxed Owen Hargreaves is poised to finalise his shock move to Manchester City after the former Manchester United midfielder passed a stringent medical with the Premier League big spenders.
The 30-year-old is due to complete a highly incentivised one-year pay-as-you-play deal with City after becoming a free agent following his release by arch-rivals United, where he managed to play just 39 times in four years due to knee problems.
It is understood that the former England international – who underwent a three-hour medical at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hospital on Tuesday - will receive a relatively basic salary that will be dwarfed by his new colleagues with his new deal heavily linked to the amount of appearances he makes for Roberto Mancini’s team.
Hargreaves has been linked with former club Bayern Munich, Tottenham and West Brom since he was released by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson following the expiry of his Old Trafford contract and left even though he offered to play for the Premier League champions for free.
Hargreaves, who has suffered with acute tendinitis problems since heading to Old Trafford in a ?21.4 million deal with Bayern Munich, will be able to put his past experience to good use at City as the club prepares for its first Champions League campaign as he won the competition during his spell with the Bundesliga side.
The FA Cup winners are keen to intensify competition for places as they pursue honours on four fronts and will be without Yaya Toure for a month in January and February as he represents Ivory Coast in the African Nations Cup.
With Mancini seeking a back-up to defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong, City have been linked with Real Madrid’s Fernando Gago, Roma’s Daniele de Rossi and AC Milan’s Dutch international Mark van Bommel, but the move for Hargreaves has been welcomed by England defender Joleon Lescott.
“He has plenty of experience in the Champions League so it will be good for the squad,” Lescott told reporters. “He is a great professional so it can only be good for the club.”
http://www.goal.com/en/news/11/transfer-zone/2011/08/31/2644110/owen-hargreaves-on-brink-of-joining-manchester-city-on-pay