The 25-year-old, who left city rivals United at the end of last season, has agreed personal terms and is expected to pen a five-year deal at Eastlands.

City have confirmed the deal has been ratified by the Premier League and the Football Association, and Tevez is expected to have a medical shortly before meeting up with his new team-mates on their pre-season tour to South Africa.

Manager Mark Hughes told www.mcfc.co.uk: "It is terrific news. Carlos is an international player of the highest class who possesses all the attributes that will help drive this club forward."

He added: "He is not only outstanding technically but he is a reliable goalscorer and someone who will contribute fully to the team ethic. He gives us another exciting attacking dimension.

"I cannot wait to welcome him to City."

With rumours swirling round Manchester that Emmanuel Adebayor is about to be offered a five-year contract to leave Arsenal and continuing speculation over the future of Chelsea skipper John Terry, it is clear City are a club on the march.

It is Hughes' job to mould a team from the succession of star names being welcomed to the club, although it is a task to relish rather than one to fear, with ambition coursing through the veins of City's Abu Dhabi-based backers.

"This is yet another deal that shows the commitment of owner Sheikh Mansour to make this club the best it can possibly be," said Hughes.

"I am sure our fans will give Carlos an exceptionally warm welcome."

The Premier League have ratified all the paperwork and assured themselves City have sole registration of the only player to win the South American player of the year award three seasons running.

An Olympic champion with Argentina in Athens five years ago, Tevez has won successive Premier League titles at United, where he was a crowd favourite.

Whether such adoration will be maintained now he has become one of a select band to have joined both Manchester clubs will be tested at the Old Trafford derby on September 19.

However, having lost out on Tevez, Sir Alex Ferguson today declared his belief the former West Ham player had already done a deal to move on.

"I half expected Carlos Tevez would be going a long time back," said the United boss.

"I think he maybe did a deal around January because I spoke to him and gave him an offer on the night we played Inter Milan (in March) and he never came back to me.

"I phoned him on holiday and he never got back to me and I texted him twice and he never got back to me then either, so obviously he had made his mind up a long time ago.

"He was a good player and did well for us. But he obviously assessed the situation and wanted to go somewhere else."

Such talk seems slightly wide of the mark but, with his family settled in the north-west and City hardly scrimping on the value of contracts, Tevez spurned interest from Chelsea to effectively remain at his current base, merely exchanging a red shirt for blue.

It further strengthens an attack that includes Roque Santa Cruz, Robinho and Craig Bellamy, plus a further five experienced players, most of whom are likely to find themselves surplus to requirements.

That will definitely be the case if the transfer of Adebayor goes through, although Arsenal must know they will be putting their own Champions League place at risk by sanctioning such a deal.

In addition, Terry's situation needs to be clarified, with City willing to pay record wages to lure the England captain north from Chelsea.

With the Londoners ready to leave for their own pre-season tour on Thursday, it has been suggested some kind of press conference could be held where Terry outlines his own vision for the future, although as he apparently feels let down by the lack of big names heading for Stamford Bridge, manager Carlo Ancelotti could not be certain of its contents.