Fabian Delph to Manchester City: England midfielder poised for City switch due to £8m Aston Villa release clause

England midfielder has clause in his contract that allows him to move for just £8m

Fabian Delph in action for Aston Villa (PA)

Fabian Delph, the Aston Villa captain, is expected to complete a move to Manchester City for a fee of around £8m today. City have activated a release clause in the player’s contract and he asked to be omitted from Villa’s pre-season training camp in Portugal. Delph, who signed a four-and-a-half-year contract at Villa Park in January, follows Turkey striker Enes Unal in joining Manuel Pellegrini’s side this week.

Delph, who made 28 Premier League appearances and was a key man in Villa’s escape from relegation last season, canvassed his team-mate Micah Richards, who moved from City to Villa this summer, about the Manchester club when the ex-England defender arrived in the Midlands.

West Ham United’s recruitment drive under their new manager, Slaven Bilic, continued unabated as they signed their fourth player of the summer – and the second commanding a fee in excess of £10m.

The Italy international defender Angelo Ogbonna is the latest to arrive, joining from Juventus on a four-year deal. Ogbonna, whose fee was undisclosed, made his name as a talented defender with Torino before joining their city rivals Juve in 2013, winning two Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia during his time there. He has 10 Italy caps and was an unused substitute during Juventus’s Champions League final defeat to Barcelona last month.

Ogbonna follows following Pedro Obiang, Darren Randolph and Dimitri Payet in moving to Upton Park this summer and is looking forward to working under Bilic.

“I am delighted to have joined the club,” he said. “I wanted to play in the Premier League and am happy to be in London. My heart told me that the right decision was to play for West Ham United.

Georginio Wijnaldum is set to join Newcastle for £14.4m (Getty)

“I cannot wait to start working under Mr Bilic and with my new team-mates. I feel ready for this new adventure.”

Meanwhile Georginio Wijnaldum is set to give up Champions League football for Steve McClaren’s Newcastle United, after his club, PSV Eindhoven, confirmed the midfielder is on his way to England to agree personal terms with the North-east club. The 24-year-old flew into Newcastle yesterday and passed a medical after the Premier League club agreed a fee of around €20m (£14.4m) for the 19-times capped Netherlands midfielder.

Newcastle hope to complete the deal before the squad depart for a pre-season tour of the United States this weekend. “Georginio has left the players’ hotel in Evian-les-Bains,” the PSV technical manager, Marcel Brands, said. “The 24-year-old captain is on his way to England to reach a personal agreement there with Newcastle United.”

Yohan Cabaye, who was unveiled yesterday as Crystal Palace’s record buy after signing for £10m plus add-ons, said the Alan Pardew effect was a key factor in him joining the south London club.

The 29-year-old midfielder, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain, said he is ready to “fight” for Pardew, who managed him at Newcastle before Cabaye left last year.

“I’m very happy to be here and to work again with the manager,” he said. “It’s great to be back in the Premier League; the club have given me that opportunity, so now I want to do my best to thank them and give my best on the pitch.”

Stoke City have signed the Chelsea midfielder Marco van Ginkel on a season-long loan, but their goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is set to move in the opposite direction as replacement for Petr Cech.