City near to Castillo deal

Shakhtar striker poised for Premier League loan move

Last updated: 14th December 2007

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Castillo: Close to City deal

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Manchester City are closing in on a deal to sign Shakhtar Donetsk striker Nery Castillo on loan.

Castillo was a target for Sven Goran Eriksson in the summer, but opted to join Shakhtar on a five-year contract from Olympiakos.

However, he has struggled to settle in Ukraine and recently angered his coach Mircea Lucescu after missing a penalty against Neftyanik when he refused to hand the ball to regular spot-kick taker Cristiano Lucarelli.

He was left out of the UEFA Champions League defeat at Celtic last month as a result of the incident and could now be on his way to the Premier League in January.

Almost a fact

The Mexico international's representative Juan Carlos Padilla has confirmed that a switch to the City of Manchester Stadium is in the pipeline.

Padilla told Televisa Deportes: "It's almost a fact, one could say that we are advanced at 90%.

"The only thing that is required is for the clubs to agree on a method of payment."

Coach of the Mexican national team Hugo Sanchez admits he is enthused by the prospect of Castillo joining City in January.

He added: "It is very good news, hopefully it will be carried out and the agreement is made official.

Sanchez approval

"I am very happy for Nery, who is not considered in the [Shakhtar] team because of a whim of the owner and the technical staff.

"It would be a very good move for him. Manchester City are positioned among the top places in the English league."

As a teenager, Castillo agreed a deal with City's local rivals United only to be refused a work permit.

However, that is no longer an issue as the Uruguayan-born 23-year-old holds Greek citizenship.