Espanyol's Pablo Zabaleta has traveled to Manchester City for a medical after the club offered to pay the Argentina international's £6.5million buy-out clause.

A statement on the Espanyol website read: "Espanyol have decided, taking into account the player must leave next Sunday to join up with his national team, to authorise the player to travel to Manchester to take a medical this Friday, while the English club deals with the documentation of the termination of the Argentinian full-back's contract with the Catalan team.

"Until this moment, Espanyol have tried to convince Zabaleta to continue in Barcelona, but the defender has shown his determination to continue his career in the Premier League."