YAYA REJECTS CHINA
TOURE TURNING DOWN HUGE OFFERS AS HE LOOKS TO STAY IN ENGLAND
Yaya Toure has rejected bigmoney offers from China in the hope of staying in Britain.
The Manchester City midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season and has been approached by clubs from the lucrative Chinese Super League.
Some reports have suggested the 33-year-old could command wages of around £430,000 per week by moving, but he is not interested.
It remains unclear whether City, who signed Toure from Barcelona for £24million in 2010, will offer him a new deal but, regardless, the player would like to stay in the UK.
Toure has produced a number of fine performances and regained a place in the heart of City’s midfield over the past two months.
Prior to that it seemed his glittering spell at the club, which includes two Premier League titles, would end ingloriously following a row between the club and his agent.
Toure was frozen out of the first-team picture by manager Pep Guardiola after his outspoken representative, Dimitri Seluk, claimed the midfielder had been humiliated by his omission from City’s Champions League squad.
That situation was resolved with an apology from Toure in November and his response since, Guardiola has confirmed, has ensured he will be restored to that squad for the remainder of the season.
As his contract winds down, Toure is now entitled to speak to other clubs but he said earlier this month he would not.
He said: “No, I won’t do that. My focus (is) on City, the future is there because for now the league is not finished.”
Regarding the possibility of a new deal at City, Guardiola last week said of Toure and other out-of-contract players: “We are going to see at the end of the season.”
Middlesbrough are hoping to make a breakthrough in their pursuit of Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford as head coach Aitor Karanka looks to strengthen his attacking options.
Boro are keeping their fingers crossed that a deal for the £6million-rated 23-yearold can be struck, although they are remaining cautious with sources having admitted they have been close for some time without an agreement being reached.
Bamford spent a successful season-long loan spell at Boro during the 2014-15 campaign, scoring 17 league goals as the club lost out on promotion to the Premier League in the play-off final at Wembley.