Manchester City chiefs are convinced they can make Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o the stellar Premiership signing of the summer.
The Daily Mail says City will pay a transfer fee of just under £30m, but will need to match Eto'o's wage demands of £192,000 a week AFTER TAX over the four-year-deal, making him the most expensive arrival in British football.
Having Eto'o on the pay roll will cost in excess of £320,000-a-week (£16.6m a year), more than twice as much as leading Barclays Premier League stars such as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.
Barcelona sources say the deal is almost complete. It represents outstanding business for the Spanish champions as the 28-year-old has only one year left on his contract, and he would have been able to leave on a free transfer next summer.