Premier League clubs will be in for a mouth-watering catch if Manchester City decide to let their enigmatic midfielder, Yaya Toure, leave the club this summer. With Pep Guardiola looking at a major revamp at the end of the season, one that will be dominated by youngsters, Toure’s stay at Etihad is a big question mark.
And such a possibility got strengthened when the Ivory Coast midfielder’s agent, Dimitri Seluk, stated of his obliviousness of any development whatsoever on that front. It is widely believed that after Toure’s recent match-winning displays in the league, the club is willing to extend his contract. But, Seluk said that there have been no new developments at the club since the last two months.
Toure’s contract runs out in the next six weeks and with every passing week, his stay with City gets more uncertain. Seluk told the media, “We have not heard anything… I read a lot of stories about a new City contract but I know nothing about this. The last time I spoke to anyone at City was in Monaco in March. We have many possibilities. Yaya already has offers from different clubs. They are very interesting offers.”
However, he was quick to state that the player has an immense fondness for the club and any contract extension, no matter how small, will be difficult for the player to turn down. Whether Guardiola acknowledges it or not, the gigantic player at the middle of the park has been the lynchpin to all the achievements Manchester City have had since the takeover- two Premier Leagues, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup to name a few.
Since joining Manchester City, Toure has scored 78 goals and assisted 48 times in 297 outings. And it is hard to find any midfielder in the League who has similar figures in the last seven years. Toure showed his efficacy this season too after he was excluded from the Champions League squad.
Ilkay Gundogan’s injury came as a blessing to him as Guardiola was forced to bring him back into the first eleven. And he struck gold in the first match itself scoring a brace in City’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace back in November. He has scored four times so far, regaining his place in City’s team again.
Undoubtedly, Toure can play at the highest level for the next two years at least. On the positive side, his availability in the midfield will be a huge help for the youngsters coming in this summer. So City should ponder over keeping him at the club for another season.
