CITY'S patience with unsettled former skipper Sylvain Distin finally snapped last night when they agreed to a fee of é4.5m from Middlesbrough for the defender.

The Frenchman had exasperated the Blues hierarchy and fans most of the summer by stalling on a new long-term contract offering him in excess of é40,000 per week - an agreement that would comfortably have made him the highest-paid player in the club's history.

Rather than let him walk out for nothing under the Bosman Ruling next summer, City decided to bank what they deemed a fair offer for a player who cost them é4m from Paris St Germain via Newcastle at the start of Kevin Keegan's reign.

The ball is now in Distin's court and the Frenchman, who still has friends in the north-east after his spell at Newcastle, is understood to have spoken to new Riverside chief Gareth Southgate last night.

Departure

If, as expected, the 28-year-old agrees terms then his departure will be a blow to boss Stuart Pearce who has said all along that he didn't want the player to leave.

Distin's decision to up sticks could hardly have been more ill timed for City who are likely to be without their skipper Richard Dunne (hamstring) at Chelsea on Sunday.

The board will, however, allow Pearce to spend some of the cash from the sale to back up the é2m purchase of keeper Andreas Isaksson.

Pearce must decide whether or not to splash the cash on a like-for-like replacement for Distin or use it to bring some left hand side balance to the midfield. Spurs' Republic of Ireland international Andy Reid remains a possibility.

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