The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Otamendi in Etihad move
SIGNINGS: Manchester City and Chelsea in big-money transfer deals
Manchester City have taken their summer spending past £100 million with the signing of Argentina defender Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia.
The 27-year-old centre-back has signed a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium after the clubs agreed a fee believed to be around £31.5m.
There could also be more business to come before the September 1 deadline with City still apparently interested in the Wolfsburg midfielder Kevin de Bruyne.
City have started the Barclays Premier League season impressively, beating both West Brom and champions Chelsea 3-0.
But that has not stopped their determination to strengthen, with Otamendi swelling central defensive ranks that include his former Porto team-mate Eliaquim Mangala and international colleague Martin Demichelis, as well as captain Vincent Kompany.
Meanwhile, Pedro wants to win trophies at Chelsea after being convinced to move to the Premier League champions by Jose Mourinho and Cesc Fabregas.
The 28-year-old yesterday signed a four-year deal after the Blues agreed a £21.4m fee with Barcelona, with £2.1m of the payment being performancerelated add-ons.
The Spain winger, who was a target of Manchester United, trained with his new team-mates at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground and could make his debut in Sunday’s match at West Brom.
Pedro’s arrival could have some repercussions for Juan Cuadrado, who has disappointed since his January arrival from Fiorentina, or Victor Moses, who is back at Chelsea after spending last season on loan at Stoke.