Benjani Mwaruwari is reportedly close to completing a shock move to Manchester City.

The news will likely 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.

Pompey are already desperately short of firepower having lost David Nugent and Nwankwo Kanu to injury, but according to Sky Sports News they could be set to lose their star striker.

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.

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