Robinho's arrival at Manchester City guaranteed the takeover by Abu Dhabi United, it has been revealed.

The Telegraph says Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the brother of Abu Dhabi's leader and expected to be confirmed as City's new chairman, personally insisted that previous owner Thaksin Shinawatra sign one of a list of six 'galactico' players.

As well as Robinho, Sheikh Mansour's list included Dimitar Berbatov, Fernando Torres, David Villa, Mario Gomez and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The revelation that City's new owners demanded a star signing ahead of completing the buy-out helps explain the frantic developments on the last day of August as Thaksin and his representatives rushed to secure a marquee signing and ensure the end of their troubled tenure as City's owners.