Speculation has been rife over the future of Yaya Toure, but the midfielder will stay at Manchester City according to his father.
The Ivory Coast international, currently in Brazil for the World Cup Finals, has been nothing short of spectacular since joining the Blues from Barcelona in the summer of 2010. The 31-year-old etched his name in the history of the club when his goal won the FA Cup final at the end of his debut season, thus bringing an end to their 35-year wait for silverware.
More was to come the following campaign when Toure was again instrumental as City won a first league title since 1968, and despite a disappointing 2012-13, last term he went on to score 20 times as Manuel Pellegrini’s side regained the Premier League crown. However, the celebrations had barely ended before speculation over his future began.
Predictably, it was his agent who set the ball rolling. Dmitry Seluk, who has a reputation for this sort of thing, claimed his client was unhappy that the club had not acknowledged his birthday. It since transpired that they did actually present him with a birthday cake, and although Toure at first appeared to make a joke about this, he later retracted comments he made on twitter and instead backed his agent’s claims.
This led to the player being heavily linked with a return to the Camp Nou, whilst French super-powers Paris St Germain were also credited with an interest in his signature. However, whilst admitting his son was indeed unhappy about his birthday snub, Toure’s father has calmed the waters by insisting the Ivorian is staying at the Etihad Stadium.
“No, he won’t leave,” Mory Toure told Goal.com. “I reconfirm that he won’t leave. If Yaya wanted Manchester City to pay particular attention to the date of his birthday, it’s because he felt that it was the right moment for the club to show him their consideration for all the sacrifices made for City to be at this level. It’s a situation he didn’t appreciate. And he preferred to express himself. But I think it’s a situation which will be resolved.”
City, meanwhile, are on the verge of landing Fernando in a £16million deal. Pellegrini had initially hoped to land the Porto midfielder during the last transfer window, but the move collapsed on deadline day. However, the 26-year-old is set to fly to Manchester this week to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms ahead of the new season.
Bacary Sagna is another player who seems certain to join the champions. The France international is currently in Brazil with the rest of Didier Deschamps’ squad, but is expected to sign for City on a free transfer following the expire of his contract this summer, a deal which could be confirmed before Les Bleus take on Honduras on Sunday.
Another French star, Eliaquim Mangala, is also wanted by the Blues. However, the Porto defender is believed to favour a move to either Chelsea or Manchester United, and this could lead to Pellegrini switching his attention to Mehdi Benatia, who is likely to be available for around half of the £50million valuation set by current club Roma.
