The deal is reported to be in the region of £7m - a figure that is normally trebled when it comes to City's excursions in the transfer market. Several times in the past few seasons, the club has been held to ransom because of the seemingly bottomless pit of money available to the club since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan bought City in September 2008.
In that time, more than £300m has been invested on new players as City continue their push for football domination.
The arrival of Clichy is likely to signal the end of Wayne Bridge's Eastland's career, while it also throws question marks over the capability of Aleksandar Kolarov, who Roberto Mancini purchased for £16m from Lazio last summer.
|Image courtesy of footie.co.za|
Despite making 24 Premier League appearances, the Serbian did not live up to the expectations of his price tag. It is the perfect opportunity to provide competition for the left-back position, with Argentine Pablo Zabaleta more than capable of filling in when needed.
Strength in depth has always been one of Mancini's main policies when he took charge in December 2009, and the arrival of an established defender - who can boast Champions League experience on his CV - emphasises the attraction of Eastlands.
Clichy has made over 200 appearances in his career, and at just 25-years-old Mancini has targeted a player who is at his peak. The Frenchman possesses great pace and a fantastic attacking drive - which will be crucial in City's bid to land a first Premier League title.
The Arsenal man, who began his career at Cannes, won the Premier League title with the Gunners in the 2003-04 campaign, while also helping Arsene Wenger's men to FA Cup glory in 2005. Clichy was also named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2007-08 season, where he played every game for the North London club.
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