Transfer deadline day: Micah Richards set to leave Man City

Manchester City's Micah Richards is expected to end his 12-year stay at the club by joining Fiorentina on loan.

Richards, 26, has arrived in Italy and is set to become the 24th Englishman to play for a Serie A club.

It is understood he has turned down a number of offers from Premier League clubs in order to join Fiorentina on a season-long loan, with a view to a permanent deal after that.

The defender has found his City chances limited under Manuel Pellegrini.

Micah Richards has arrived in Florence to finalise a move to the city's Serie A club Fiorentina

The Manchester club will also listen to offers for Matija Nastastic, John Guidetti and Scott Sinclair.

Birmingham-born Richards was a key member of the City squad that won the Premier League in 2012, but made just two Premier League appearances last season and has one year remaining on his contract.

He joined City as a 14 year old from Oldham and made his Premier League debut in October 2005.

A year later he became the youngest defender ever to be called up to the England squad - aged 18  - and won 13 caps for the national team.

He was linked with a £20m move to a host of top clubs in 2011 but a number of injuries and the emergence of Pablo Zabaleta as City's first-choice right-back limited his opportunities.

He fell further down the pecking order after City signed Bacary Sagna from Arsenal in the summer.

Richards, who has made almost 250 appearances for City, has accepted he has to leave to get more games and recapture the form that made him one of the country's most exciting prospects when he first burst on to the scene.

City may also offload more players on deadline day as they look to trim their wage bill to meet Uefa's financial fair play rules.