City urge Benjani caution
05 Feb 2008 - 08:07:06
Manchester City have cooled reports suggesting they had finalised Benjani Mwaruwari's proposed move from Portsmouth.
City were left frustrated on transfer deadline day when they failed to clinch the signing of the Zimbabwe striker for a fee believed to be around the £8million mark.
Portsmouth were also unhappy that a deal failed to materialise after they had clinched the signing of Jermain Defoe from Tottenham to offset the loss of Benjani.
After Benjani failed to sign by the midnight deadline, the Premier League launched an investigation and asked for the relevant paperwork to be submitted which led to fresh hope that the transfer could be resurrected.
City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson also admitted on Monday that he expected the issue to be resolved by Tuesday at the latest.
However, City claim that reports suggesting the transfer had already been rubber-stamped by the authorities and was therefore on the verge of completion are premature.
"No deal has been completed," read a club statement.
"Manchester City remain in contact with the football authorities regarding this potential transfer, and any further developments will be announced."
