Nicolas Otamendi tells a story from his first call-up to the Argentina national team that in many ways sums up his recent career. Diego Maradona was national team coach before the 2010 World Cup and having called the young defender up, Otamendi was on a plane to Santa Fe with the rest of his team-mates.

'There were seven places in first class' he tells Argentine magazine El Grafico. 'They were reserved for the coaching staff but it was decided that the players should take them so there was a draw made and I was one of the names picked out. Some of the players thought I should have given my seat up to a more senior player but I heard Maradona say: "Look at Otamendi, first cap and he's already sat in first class".'

The 27-year-old defender who looks set to sign for Manchester City doesn't hang around once he's on board. After just one season at Valencia and having played a huge part in getting them into the Champions League he looks set to move to the Premier League - before they can even contest their play-off with Monaco.

Nicolas Otamendi looks set to leave Valencia and move to Manchester City

Otamendi played a key role in helping Valencia get into the Champions League

'Don't put me in the team anymore. There is a lot of money at stake here,' he told Valencia coach Nuno Espirito Santo last week. He sees Manchester City as his chance to really establish himself as one of the world's best central defenders and he was not about to let the chance slip away by picking up an injury for Valencia.

The Buenos Aires-born defender was brought up with his three siblings by his mother Silvia. A family friend took him along to local club Velez Sarsfield when was he was just seven and he eventually blossomed at the club fulfilling his potential under Ricardo Gareca and winning the league in 2009.

Otamendi impressed former Argentina manager Diego Maradona when he was called up to the national team

Otamendi had the opportunity to sit in first class on the plane on his first call up to the Argentina squad

That earned him an £5.7million move to Porto where he eventually played alongside Mangala, who he could now be reuniting with in the coming days. He won the league, cup and Europa League with Andres Villas-Boas, James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao in Portugal. He had earlier faced Falcao as a rival in matches between Velez and River Plate in Argentina and they became close pals as Porto dominated the league.

Roberto Ayala was one of his idols growing up and it was the Argentina and Valencia legend that called Otamendi and told him he should move to La Liga and sign for Valencia.

He eventually moved there in February 2014 but had to go out on loan to Atletico Mineiro in Brazil before he could make his debut for them at the start of the 2014-15 season. He did so well with Atletico that supporters in Belo Horizonte did not want him to leave but La Liga beckoned and at the Mestalla, in just one season, he played his way into most commentators' teams of the season. Valencia fans started to believe they were seeing, if not Ayala's second coming, certainly one of the best defenders since the great man retired.

Otamendi models his game on that of Roberto Ayala (left, in action against Andrew Cole of Man United in 2001)

Ayala shows his fighting qualities by upending England's Michael Owen during the World Cup in 1998

Like Ayala, he lacks inches - at six feet tall he is relatively short for a centre back - but few head the ball better. 'I'm not the biggest defender but very little gets past me in the air,' he says.

That was evident in January when he got the winner against Real Madrid to end their 22-match unbeaten run. He had marshalled the Valencia defence well all night against the might of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema and then arrived at just the right time to score the decisive goal.

Any City fans doubting his suitability to the Premier League would do well to watch the goal again – the way he climbs above Sergio Ramos, appears to adjust his body shape as he hangs in the air, and then power a header past Iker Casillas.

Otamendi has come a long way since he was playing for Andre Villas Boas at Porto in 2011

If the deal to Manchester City is completed then he will link up with former Porto team-mate Eliaquim Mangala

Otamendi impressed for Valencia against Real Madrid last season and looks set to make another step up

He is a big boxing fan and that means not only watching the sport but also using the same training techniques. As a youngster he sparred at his local gym and worked out with other young boxers to build both the speed and power, and the endurance that are now his trademarks. 'The methods are very complete', he says. 'You are working every part of your body.'

His new sparring partner at City will be Vincent Kompany and he will need to work on his English so that the two can communicate on the pitch. He will also need plenty of help off the pitch from City's other central defender, fellow Argentine Martin Demichelis as he tries to settle his young family - he has seven-year old daughter, Morena, and a baby son - into Manchester.

If the deal is closed it will be the biggest transfer in Valencia's history and the pressure will be on him do better in his first season than Mangala managed last year.