Benjani Mwaruwari is close to completing
a shock move to Manchester City.
The news is likely to dismay the Fratton Park
faithful, who have seen the Portsmouth striker finally fulfil his
potential on the south coast this season in scoring 12 league
goals.
Benjani tops the club's scoring charts and on Wednesday evening
his manager Harry Redknapp issued praise in the Zimbabwean's
direction, following Portsmouth's defeat at Manchester United.
Portsmouth are already desperately short of firepower having
lost David Nugent and Nwankwo Kanu to injury.
Redknapp has moved to compensate for this shortfall by bringing
in Milan Baros from Lyon in a loan deal but the move will still
surprise many.
City are short of strikers themselves, with Rolando Bianchi
having ended a short and less than glorious stint in Manchester by
returning to Italy via a loan switch to Lazio.
It has also been reported that Ecuador international Felipe
Caicedo of Swiss side Basel remains a target.
If Benjani does indeed complete a move to City then it will only
increase speculation of Portsmouth making signings of their own,
with Jermain Defoe mooted as a realistic target.