Ruben Dias is on the verge of completing his club record move to Manchester City after being spotted departing the Lowry Hotel on Tuesday afternoon.
City will pay £64million for Benfica's captain, who has already completed a medical and agreed personal terms on a long-term contract at the Etihad Stadium.
Dressed in a black suit and white shirt, Dias, who was also wearing a face mask, was pictured getting into a black Mercedes outside the swanky hotel.
He said goodbye to his team-mates last week after City agreed to make him the most expensive player in their history, eclipsing the £62.8m paid to Atletico Madrid for midfielder Rodri last year.
Dias' move will be officially announced by City once Nicolas Otamendi has passed his medical ahead of his move the other way.
The Argentine defender is joining Benfica in a separate deal worth £13.7m after falling down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola.
The former Barcelona boss has been desperate to strengthen his defensive options this summer and has been an admirer of Dias for the last two years.
City's shocking 5-2 defeat at home to Leicester on Sunday underlined the need to bring in Dias despite the club spending £40m on Nathan Ake from Bournemouth.
Dias was one of four options considered, with Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli, Sevilla's Jules Kounde and Atletico's Jose Gimenez also in the frame
But City believe they have gone for the right man having tracked Dias in previous transfer windows, and got a good deal considering the £80m release clause in his contract.
The Benfica skipper, who has previously attracted interest from Manchester United, Arsenal and Juventus, is understood to fit the bill for Guardiola in terms of age, profile and the quality of defender he wanted.