Manchester City are splashing out a staggering £12 million for Chelsea left-back Wayne Bridge.

The Daily Mail says with the window opening at midnight, mega-rich City have not wasted any time in getting their plans off the ground and their move for the 28-year-old defender is expected to be finalised quickly.

City manager Mark Hughes realised he needed an experienced left back as soon as he joined the club last summer and Bridge has long been his preferred target.

The £12m transfer figure seems high for a defender but indicates how eager Hughes was to get the deal done. It is understood Bridge has taken some persuading to leave Chelsea, for whom he has played 87 times. But the former Southampton player has been won over by the scale of City's ambition and by promises that further big-name signings will follow.