Sheik Mansour close to $100m deal to start new MLS side... with link to Premier League giants

                              New ambitions: Sheikh Mansour (centre) wants to start an MLS franchise... and it could cost $100m

Manchester City owner Sheik Mansour of Abu Dhabi is close to sealing an astonishing $100million deal to establish a new Major League Soccer team in New York.

The billionaire owner of the deposed Barclays Premier League champions has been in top-secret discussions with MLS for months about establishing a lucrative franchise in the USA.

Oladele.com understands that a deal is close and the Sheik is hopeful he, and MLS officials, will be in a position to announce its completion when Roberto Mancini’s side play an exhibition game against Chelsea in New York at the end of next month.

Nobody at City will comment and it is understood that there are some crucial details to be ironed out before the deal can go through.

Sources close to the situation suggested last night there is still an outside chance the move may fall at the final hurdle.

However, staff at all levels at City are now working towards an announcement being made in New York next month. If and when it is established, the new club would be tied intrinsically to City and would probably be based in the New York borough of Queens, near to the home of the New York Mets baseball team and Flushing Meadows, venue for the US Open tennis tournament.