The £200 million takeover of Manchester City by the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG) will be completed within 24 hours, with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the new chairman, set to offer a vote of confidence to Mark Hughes, the City manager, as one of his first acts at the club.

ADUG has already ruffled feathers throughout the football world by bankrolling the British record £34.2 million signing of Robinho from Real Madrid and by suggesting that City may make an offer to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in January. Sheikh Mansour, a member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family, is eager to promote stability by showing his belief in Hughes.

The City manager, who left Blackburn Rovers in June to take over the reins at the City of Manchester Stadium, has been encouraged by the new owners’ willingness to listen to his views on the proposed signing of the other Ronaldo, the 31-year-old Brazil forward who is out of contract after being released by AC Milan.

Under the ownership of Thaksin Shinawatra, City seemed ready to recruit Ronaldo as the kind of “marquee signing” that was thought necessary to raise the club’s global profile, but after consultation with Hughes, it appears the bid will be abandoned.

City will announce a new management structure once ADUG’s buyout of Thaksin is completed today or tomorrow. Sheikh Mansour is expected to be confirmed as the new chairman, replacing Thaksin, who will retain a place on the board in recognition of his 10 per cent stake in the company.

The sheikh is expected to appoint several close associates to the board, including Simon Pearce, director of strategic communications for Abu Dhabi, but Garry Cook appears certain to stay on as executive chairman.

There was more good news for City last night when Michael Johnson, the England Under-21 midfield player, ended uncertainty about his future by signing a new five-year contract.