The agent of Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has revealed that his client will leave the club at the end of the season.
Dimitri Seluk bemoaned the fact that they had been forced to wait over contract talks for so long, which in turn has paved the way for them to consider their options away from Manchester.
Coupled with the arrival of Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium this summer, it appears as though the Ivorian international doesn’t have a future with the Citizens beyond this season.
The Spanish tactician sold Toure during their time together at Barcelona in 2010, and that will have undoubtedly played a part in their decision.
“We have waited too long,” Seluk said, as reported by Sky Sports. “Manchester City promised a deal but nothing has materialised so Yaya will leave in June.
“Yaya is disappointed of course. But he is a professional and he remains under contract so he will continue to do his best for City.”
Seluk went on to add that a second stint with Roberto Mancini could be a possibility, with the former City boss currently in charge of Inter.
However, there are likely to be several offers on the table this summer as Toure still has plenty left to give at the top level, but ultimately he won’t figure in Guardiola’s plans moving forward.
It promises to be a crucial summer for the Premier League giants, as their new coach will need to stamp his mark on the squad and instil his system and style of play in a short period of time.
With the financial backing of the club, he will undoubtedly look to the transfer market to strengthen, but it is expected that Toure won’t be the only player leaving.
Various stars will be under pressure to impress Guardiola in training during the pre-season schedule, as on first glance, many of them simply don’t seem capable of living with the demands likely to be asked of them.
Martin Demichelis, Aleksandar Kolarov, Samir Nasri, Toure and Wilfried Bony are all arguably outside what we would regard as a typical Guardiola player given their limitations in their respective positions.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen what changes are implemented and which players survive ahead of a new era for the club.