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Manchester City will kick-start the January sales by agreeing a fee of £18million with Blackburn for striker Roque Santa Cruz in the next 24 hours.
Talks are at an advanced stage, with both clubs keen to complete the move quickly. City manager Mark Hughes is anxious to secure a player he signed for Blackburn from Bayern Munich for a bargain fee of £3.8m just 16 months ago, while new Rovers boss Sam Allardyce expects to be handed £10m from the sale and wants as much time as possible to spend it.
Santa Cruz himself insistedon Tuesday he would only quit Ewood Park for another Barclays Premier League club despite interest from Real Madrid.
ITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 23: of Blackburn Rovers in action during the Barclays Prem
Roque Santa Cruz is set to become a Manchester City player in the New Year
The 27-year-old told Radio Primero de Mayo: 'I would like to stay in England. I like this league. It is one of the most competitive in the world.'
He added: 'I have nothing to do with any offers. They are made to the club and the directors make a decision.'
As revealed by Sportsmail earlier this month, Allardyce has always accepted he would have to sacrifice his prize asset to afford the reinforcements he needs to keep Blackburn up.
r Mark Hughes direct their
Eastlands boss Mark Hughes knows his team must start climbing up the table if he is to keep his job at the world's richest football club
Although he insisted that he would be reluctant to part with his best players, Santa Cruz's desire to leave, Blackburn's need for new blood and City's ability to give them a huge profit on their investment always made a deal inevitable.
Santa Cruz, 27, has to agree personal terms, but that is not expected to be a problem considering the wealth of City's owners, his close relationship with Hughes and an admission on the eve of Allardyce's first game that he wanted to test himself at a bigger club.
The Paraguay striker, who scored 23 goals in his first season in England, has yet to play under Allardyce because of a calf injury.
Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce would be prepared to let Santa Cruz go - for the right price
Having had two bids turned down, Hughes will now get his man at the third attempt to begin what is expected to be a busy month of transfer business at Eastlands.
He is also hoping to prise Germany's World Cup defender Philipp Lahm from Bayern Munich if Chelsea refuse to allow Wayne Bridge to join.
Hughes pencilled the England left back on to his wish list almost as soon as the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover of City in August promised a money-no-object budget to sign New Year reinforcements.
German Philipp Lahm cele
Hughes may also try and bring German international Philipp Lahm to Eastlands
But Chelsea are in no hurry to do business with City after seeing their deal for Robinho hijacked at the 11th hour in the summer.
Hughes is ready to pay £8m, but if Chelsea play hardball over Bridge, he will once again turn to his old club Bayern.
Lahm made the all-star team at the 2006 World Cup and has six years' Bundesliga experience with the club he joined as an 11-year-old.
He was a Barcelona target last summer but signed a new deal until 2012, so is likely to cost more than £8m.
Manchester City will kick-start the January sales by agreeing a fee of £18million with Blackburn for striker Roque Santa Cruz in the next 24 hours.
Talks are at an advanced stage, with both clubs keen to complete the move quickly. City manager Mark Hughes is anxious to secure a player he signed for Blackburn from Bayern Munich for a bargain fee of £3.8m just 16 months ago, while new Rovers boss Sam Allardyce expects to be handed £10m from the sale and wants as much time as possible to spend it.
Santa Cruz himself insistedon Tuesday he would only quit Ewood Park for another Barclays Premier League club despite interest from Real Madrid.
ITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 23: of Blackburn Rovers in action during the Barclays Prem
Roque Santa Cruz is set to become a Manchester City player in the New Year
The 27-year-old told Radio Primero de Mayo: 'I would like to stay in England. I like this league. It is one of the most competitive in the world.'
He added: 'I have nothing to do with any offers. They are made to the club and the directors make a decision.'
As revealed by Sportsmail earlier this month, Allardyce has always accepted he would have to sacrifice his prize asset to afford the reinforcements he needs to keep Blackburn up.
r Mark Hughes direct their
Eastlands boss Mark Hughes knows his team must start climbing up the table if he is to keep his job at the world's richest football club
Although he insisted that he would be reluctant to part with his best players, Santa Cruz's desire to leave, Blackburn's need for new blood and City's ability to give them a huge profit on their investment always made a deal inevitable.
Santa Cruz, 27, has to agree personal terms, but that is not expected to be a problem considering the wealth of City's owners, his close relationship with Hughes and an admission on the eve of Allardyce's first game that he wanted to test himself at a bigger club.
The Paraguay striker, who scored 23 goals in his first season in England, has yet to play under Allardyce because of a calf injury.
Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce would be prepared to let Santa Cruz go - for the right price
Having had two bids turned down, Hughes will now get his man at the third attempt to begin what is expected to be a busy month of transfer business at Eastlands.
He is also hoping to prise Germany's World Cup defender Philipp Lahm from Bayern Munich if Chelsea refuse to allow Wayne Bridge to join.
Hughes pencilled the England left back on to his wish list almost as soon as the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover of City in August promised a money-no-object budget to sign New Year reinforcements.
German Philipp Lahm cele
Hughes may also try and bring German international Philipp Lahm to Eastlands
But Chelsea are in no hurry to do business with City after seeing their deal for Robinho hijacked at the 11th hour in the summer.
Hughes is ready to pay £8m, but if Chelsea play hardball over Bridge, he will once again turn to his old club Bayern.
Lahm made the all-star team at the 2006 World Cup and has six years' Bundesliga experience with the club he joined as an 11-year-old.
He was a Barcelona target last summer but signed a new deal until 2012, so is likely to cost more than £8m.