Aston Villa captain Fabian Delph will complete his £8million move to Manchester City in the next 24 hours.

City are understood to have activated the release clause in the England midfielder's contract and personal terms have been agreed.

Delph, 25, did not travel with the Villa squad to their pre-season training camp in Portugal and will become Manuel Pellegrini's first signing of the summer.

Aston Villa captain Fabian Delph is set to join Manchester City for £8million in the next 24 hours

Delph was at the front of Villa's new home kit launch on Tuesday but he will be leaving the club shortly

Delph made 28 Premier League appearances for Villa last season and helped the club reach the FA Cup final

The Chilean has been looking for homegrown talent after James Milner left for Liverpool on a free transfer.

Villa manager Tim Sherwood has looked to address the huge loss of Delph, Villa’ s player of the season, by agreeing a £9million deal for Lille midfielder Idrissa Gueye, with a work permit pending.

Villa also want to sign Nice left-back Jordan Amavi, 21, for £9m.

The loss of Delph, after six years at the club, will be significant. Sherwood handed him the armband after taking charge and he has consistently Villa’s standout player over the last two campaigns.

Delph surprised supporters by signing a new four-year contract in January as his previous deal was due to run out, leaving him a free agent this summer.

Delph said: ‘It wouldn’t have sat right with me leaving, especially on a free.’

The fresh terms included the modest release fee, which has at least given Villa their money back from the fee paid to Leeds United in 2009.

Delph has been weighing up the move for a considerable period, and asked the advice of Micah Richards, once of City.

The decision to leave Villa Park is understood to have come as a massive wrench, but the offer of Champions League football and a chance to win trophies won over.

'He has asked me what I think about the situation,' admitted Richards, who signed a four-year deal at Villa.

Delph was back in training with his Villa team-mates on Monday but did not travel with them to Portugal

New Villa signing Micah Richards revealed that Delph called him for advice on moving to the Etihad

'Delph's been unbelievable for Aston Villa. Every player wants to play at the highest level,' said Richards.

'He won't want to go there as a squad player, but if he gets assurances that he's going to play, then the decision is his. And if he wants to play in the Champions League...

'I wouldn't say don't go to Manchester City because if he's playing well he could play. Joe Hart plays every week and he's English but then he is world class.

Delph did not fly to Portugal with the rest of Villa squad on Thursday for their pre-season training camp, officially because his wife Natalie is expecting their second child.

Delph scores in Liverpool's 2-1 FA Cup semi-final win against Liverpool at Wembley in April this year

Villa have agreed a £9million deal for Lille midfielder Idrissa Gueye (right) as Delph closes in on a move

Online bookmakers SkyBet have suspended all betting on the move, with spokesperson Michael White saying: 'This market has been the transfer saga of the summer. It hasn't been a question of where Delph was going, but whether or not Manchester City could get this deal over the line.