Manchester City were last night in advanced negotiations to make Nashat Akram the first Iraqi player to appear in the Premier League. The midfield player, 23, has impressed Sven-Göran Eriksson while on a ten-day trial and is in talks about making a permanent move from Al-Ain, for whom he plays in the United Arab Emirates. He underwent a medical examination yesterday and has been invited to discuss personal terms.

One of his compatriots, the late Youra Eshaya, played for Bristol Rovers in the mid-1950s, but Akram, who recently finished third in the Asian Player of the Year awards, stands to be the first Iraqi to play in a top European league in modern times.

Dead certs

Portsmouth have signed Danijel Subotic, 18, the FC Basle striker. “We’ve taken a gamble on him and hopefully he’s one for the future,” Harry Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, said. The South Coast club have also taken Cho Jae-jin, the Shimizu S-Pulse striker, on trial.

Reading have signed Marek Matejovsky, a midfield player, from FK Mlada Boleslav, of the Czech Republic, on a 3½year deal. Ben Alnwick, the 21-year-old Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, has joined Leicester City on loan until the end of the season.

Decent bets

Birmingham City have given a trial to Dulee Johnson, the midfield player who plays for AIK in Sweden. The club are also monitoring Ludovic Magnin, the VfB Stuttgart left back, who is out of contract in the summer.

Long shots

Portsmouth and Readingare interested in Nicolas Fauvergue, the Lille forward. Rangers were yesterday trying to persuade Alan Hutton to move to Tottenham Hotspur. An offer of £8 million was accepted last week, but the defender rejected the move.

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