Five days after the transfer window closed, Benjani Mwaruwari will complete his move from Portsmouth to Manchester City today, with the clubs having reached an agreement last night over a restructuring of the £7.6 million fee.

Benjani, the joint-third highest goalscorer in the Barclays Premier League this season, had been left in limbo when the transfer deadline passed on Thursday, with City trying to back out of the original deal after a knee injury came to light during his medical examination that night. But, with the league’s encouragement, they decided to renegotiate the previous agreement with Portsmouth and will complete the signing today, with a smaller down-payment and a large portion of the fee depending on the number of appearances he makes for City.

The transfer window closed long before the deal will be rubber-stamped today, but the Premier League has agreed to turn a blind eye to the various issues — which included Benjani’s failure to sign at least one of the forms that was submitted to the league on Thursday night — on the basis that the deal was concluded “in spirit” before the deadline.

The documents had been submitted to the Premier League that evening, albeit with Benjani’s signature missing, after the Zimbabwe forward arrived at City’s training ground at 11.10pm, only 50 minutes before the deadline. Benjani did not fail his medical, with only a brief examination being possible in that time, but the cartilage problem in his right knee caused consternation at City, who by this time felt that the fee was too high for a 29-year-old with an injury that may restrict him in the long term. Some City officials were also uncomfortable with the number of agents involved in the deal and felt that the paperwork needed far greater scrutiny than time allowed.

There were suspicions at City that Portsmouth were aware of Benjani’s medical issues and may have been complicit in his late arrival in Manchester. After missing two flights and having a third cancelled, the player finally made it to Manchester almost six hours later than expected.

In their conversations with Portsmouth, City requested a loan move, feeling their case had been strengthened by the revelation that Jermain Defoe’s transfer to Fratton Park from Tottenham Hotspur was initially on a loan basis. There was also a feeling within the club that there may be a case for taking legal action if they were left with a player they did not want. The Premier League, however, made it clear that, despite the missing signature and City’s cold feet over the medical, the deal was still valid.

That news delighted Sven-Göran Eriksson, the manager, who was adamant that he wanted Benjani, having allowed Rolando Bianchi and Georgios Samaras to depart on loan for Lazio and Celtic respectively before the transfer window closed.

Benjani spent the weekend in a Manchester hotel, seemingly unwanted by City and surplus to requirements at Portsmouth, but now he has the opportunity to make up for lost time. Along with Felipe Caicedo, the Ecuador forward, he should be eligible to make his City debut in the derby match against Manchester United at Old Trafford — and there could be no better place for a City forward to make a scoring start.