adminLONDON. — Yaya Toure has thrown his Manchester City future into further doubt after revealing he is open to “new challenges”. The Cote d’Ivoire midfielder has described his former manager Roberto Mancini, now at Inter Milan, as “a mentor” and reiterated his admiration for Paris St Germain.
Toure’s future has been the subject of intense speculation after an inconsistent season followed a summer when he was at odds with City on various issues.
He still has two years to run on a £220 000-a-week contract and is believed to be unhappy that he has not been offered an extension.
Mancini, who signed Toure for City in a £24 million deal from Barcelona in 2010, has made no secret that he sees him as key figure in his bid to re-establish Inter as a force, while the player has also been linked with a move to PSG.
But Toure insists his decision to stay or leave will not be driven by money.
“No amount of wages will make me stay at a club if I feel that I no longer belong there or if no challenge exists for me,” he said.
“It would be unjust on my part. There comes a moment where numbers don’t stop us, it goes beyond that, even if the English media seem more interested in the numbers than the sport itself.
“For the future, I don’t know more than you do, because I will always go where I am offered new challenges. That is in my nature.”
Significantly, he spoke highly of Mancini, adding in an interview with website Foot Mercato: “Mancini is a mentor for me, he is a special coach.
“It is no secret that I loved the time when he was boss here, like I love playing for City today. But as I said earlier, I have arrived at the point where I am more interested in the sporting challenge a club has to offer me than anything else.”
Toure’s Cote d’Ivoire team-mate Serge Aurier claims the pair have spoken about PSG. — The Daily Express.
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