Patrick Vieira was due to undergo a medical examination at
Manchester City on Thursday before completing his move from Inter
Milan.
City hopes the former Arsenal midfielder will be registered
in time to face Blackburn on Monday, a person at the Premier League
club said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the
transfer has not been completed.
Vieira's arrival - as manager Roberto Mancini's first signing
- could help fifth-place City's push for the top four to qualify
for the Champions League.
The 33-year-old Vieira, who is set to sign an 18-month
contract, hopes the move will cement his place on France's World
Cup squad and is counting on the help of Mancini, the former Inter
coach who replaced Mark Hughes last month.
"(It is) important for me is to go to Manchester City, to
show the coach that I am the same as I was during the time when he
was at Inter," Vieira told Canal Plus.
Vieira has played in 12 of 18 Serie A matches this season and
appeared for only 23 minutes during Inter's six Champions League
group games.
"I have goals and I can't achieve them by staying at Inter
where I am not part of the coach's choices," Vieira said.
Inter coach Jose Mourinho thanked Vieira after Wednesday's
1-0 win over Chievo Verona, a game in which the Frenchman played
from start to finish.
"It was his last game with us and he played an incredible
match. He could have refused to play or held his leg back at times
but he gave his all," Mourinho said. "I'm sad that he's leaving but
happy that he's going to a place where he'll play more."
Vieira spent nine seasons with Arsenal before transferring to
Juventus in 2005. His tenure with the Turin squad lasted only a
year, with the Italian match-fixing scandal prompting his move to
Inter in 2006.
