Report: City prepared to let Toure join title rival in January
Manchester City is keen to offload Yaya Toure in the January transfer window, so much so that it's willing to let him join a Premier League title rival, reports the Guardian's Jamie Jackson.
Manager Pep Guardiola has entered a war of words with Toure's agent Dimitri Seluk, demanding an apology from the Ukrainian for his scathing remarks when his client was left out of City's Champions League squad - otherwise the midfielder wouldn't feature in his plans at all this season.
Seluk refused, however, and stated that it's perhaps Guardiola who owes an apology to his predecessor at the Etihad Campus, Manuel Pellegrini.
Related - Yaya's agent Seluk: 'I can say whatever I like' about Guardiola
The fall-out has left the 33-year-old's status on the periphery of the squad - he's only appeared in the formality that was the second leg of the Champions League qualifier against Steaua Bucharest last month - appearing closer to an exile, with his expected squad inclusion for Wednesday's League Cup trip to Swansea City now in severe doubt.
A January switch to the cash-rich Chinese Super League, or elsewhere in the world would inevitably be preferred, thereby avoiding the situation where Toure locks horns on the pitch with City. But the want to rid the wage bill of his £220,000 weekly salary, and the team of his at-times ineffectual pottering around the middle of the park, means he could be allowed to leave to a team competing in the upper echelons of the Premier League.
If Toure doesn't leave in the winter, a situation could arise where he doesn't play competitively at all in 2016-17, since he retired from Ivory Coast duty earlier this week.
Toure joined Manchester City from Barcelona in 2010, and was an instant hit in helping the club to five pieces of domestic silverware.
In the last two seasons his form has curtailed, though, leaving the energy in the midfield coming courtesy of Fernandinho and David Silva, who has adopted a deeper role under Guardiola.
City remains in South Wales after the midweek League Cup match, facing Swansea again at the Liberty Stadium in Saturday's Premier League action.