Martin Petrov is set to make a switch from Spanish Primera division to the English Premier League with Manchester City the most probable destination.

Bulgaria’s Footballer of the Year 2006 has been allowed to leave Atletico Madrid’s summer training camp to negotiate a transfer. Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United were also reported to be in the competition for the 28-year-old left-winger but, according to the latest information from Madrid, Petrov is going to Manchester for a transfer fee of about eight million euro.

Atletico Madrid is ready to cash in on the Bulgarian flyer in order to collect money for two Portuguese stars, Porto’s Ricardo Quaresma and Benfica’s Simao Sabrosa. At the same time, new Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is desperately trying to strengthen his squad with a huge amount of money from the new club owner, former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The Shinawatra family secured 75 per cent of City’s shares to take total control of the struggling side, whose last major success was 31 years ago when they won the League Cup. Thaksin, who has been living in exile since he was ousted in a bloodless coup last year, has said his 81 million pound sterling takeover will help improve Thai football.