England midfielder Fabian Delph is leaving Aston Villa to join Manchester City, the two Premier League clubs announced on Friday, just days after insisting he would be staying at Villa Park.
City confirmed on their website that the 25-year-old Delph had agreed a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium and had completed a medical.
"Fabian Delph has exercised the release clause in his contract and will join Manchester City," said Villa in a statement, with press reports saying they had received a fee of £8 million ($NZD19.1 million).
Delph, who did not fly out for Villa's pre-season training camp in Portugal as his wife is pregnant, will now be left to explain his sudden change of heart less than a week after issuing a strong statement via Villa's website accompanied by a picture of him pointing to his captain's armband.
"I'm aware there has been intense media speculation surrounding my future in the last 24 hours and I want to set the record straight," Delph said last week.
"I'm not leaving. I'm staying at the football club and I can't wait for the start of the season and captaining this great football club."
Delph signed a new Villa contract earlier this year with his previous deal having been due to expire this summer, but the deal was understood to include a release clause that City met.
AFP