Less than 48 hours after City clinched an unforgettable Premier League title, Toure’s agent told a radio station in Barcelona, Spain that he wants to leave the club in search of a new challenge, according to the Mirror.
“He has done all he could do at City and he needs new motivations,” the Mirror reports Dimitri Seluk told Ona FM. “Toure would like a new challenge.
“Toure could sign for many big clubs, like Chelsea and Bayern [Munich]. Moreover, we would like to see Barca join the race. I have not spoken with [soon-to-be Barcelona coach] Tito Vilanova or [Barcelona president] Sandro Rosell, but they know the situation and if they are interested there will be no problem to sit down and talk.”
Toure was one of the keys to City’s ascent to the top of the English game. His all-action displays in the center midfield kept opponents off-balance, and allowed his teammates to flourish in their own roles. City’s title charge slowed when he was playing with the Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
The 29-year-old reportedly earns a hefty £260,000 per week, which all but the richest teams in the world would be unable to meet. Nevertheless, his agent may be pushing City to increase the midfield titan’s salary. He also claims Toure is admired by Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, who may be willing to find a place for the Ivorian in his star-studded team.
“I do not know if [Real] Madrid are interested in Toure, but I know that [coach Jose] Mourinho has liked him a lot since he [Mourinho] was at Chelsea,” Seluk said. “He also wanted him when he joined Inter.”
But if the “come and get me” plea is sincere, Toure could leave City under a new rule which allows players to buy out the remaining years of their contract after a fixed period of time.
“He would not cost much, Seluk said. “He has two years on his contract and in one year he could leave under the Webster ruling.”
Now that it has ended a 44-year wait for a league championship, City’s great challenge is to sustain that success. Losing Toure would be a significant blow to those efforts.
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