Manchester City have agreed a €40m (£33.6m) deal with Lens for centre-back Abdulkadir Khosanov.
Sources familiar with the deal say there are additional bonuses linked to the sale, and the player is scheduled to undergo a medical examination before the transfer is officially confirmed.
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City's coach, decided to strengthen his team after two difficult months that saw the English Premier League title holder fall to sixth place in the standings, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool.
The club is also in negotiations with Brazilian side Palmeiras to sign young defender Vitor Reis, although the club president has been quoted as saying that reports that they are keen to cash in on the 18-year-old are “not true”.
In addition, City are keen to sign Egyptian striker Omar Marmoush following the 25-year-old's impressive performances for Eintracht Frankfurt this season.
Khosanov will become the first Uzbekistani player to join a Premier League club once his transfer is completed. He will also be Manchester City's first significant January signing since Aymeric Laporte's arrival in 2018.
This confirms Guardiola's determination to reverse City's fortunes and address the chronic injury situation that left him without a series of defenders during the first half of the season.
Ruben Dias has not participated since the derby defeat against Manchester United on December 15, and was excluded from the FA Cup third round match on Saturday with Salford City, which is competing in League Two.
England international John Stones will also miss the match, while Nathan Ake has twice been ruled out for long periods due to injury already this season.
Lens paid just €100,000 (£84,000) for Khosanov from Belarusian club Energetik-BGU 18 months ago.
However, he has developed rapidly and has made 13 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season and has played 18 caps for Uzbekistan.
Khosanov scored his first goal for the club in his last appearance, in a French Cup match with Paris Saint-Germain on 22 December.
City also received welcome news of Oscar Pope's return to training after the 21-year-old Norwegian was out for five months due to a broken leg.
