Patrick Vieira seems close to his joining of English Premier League club Manchester City as the former Arsenal captain was reported to have flown into England on Thursday.

Vieira had played his last match for Italian giants Inter Milan against Chievo on Wednesday before his departure for England and has a contact with City manager Roberto Mancini, who was previously in charge of Inter.

Without problems on fitness test or personal terms, Vieira could be confirmed as a City player as early as later on Thursday, although City could hold over any announcement until Friday.

The 33-year-old midfielder would add defensive resilience to a City side often criticized for letting in too many goals under former boss Mark Hughes.

Vieira's arrival would represent Mancini's first signing since he replaced Hughes three weeks ago and be the latest high-profile purchase by City, who this week announced that a huge annual loss of 92.8 million pounds would be effectively wiped out by their wealthy Abu Dhabi-based owner Sheikh Mansour.

Vieira has had a shaky past three seasons at Inter Milan and, now on the fringes of the France team, he is desperate for starting squad to boost his chances for the World Cup finals in South Africa later this year.

Mancini was Vieira's first coach at Inter after the player arrived in Milan following a season with Italian rivals Juventus.