Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini has hinted at a potential summer move for Manchester City star Yaya Toure, praising the Ivory Coast international who he previously signed when in charge of the Citizens in 2010.

As reported by talkSPORT, the Italian spoke about Toure to Il Giornale, saying the 31-year-old is exactly the kind of player he wants for his new squad:

Yaya is one of the strongest players in the world.

He has played in so many teams. He has been in leagues in Belgium, Russia, Spain and England. Italy is the one missing. This could be the right opportunity for him to come and try.

We are building a team. There are players that change the look of a team, and Yaya is one of them.

Next year we could try. We need to bring three champions, and we will see that we will be ready to fight for the Scudetto.

Toure’s future at the Etihad Stadium has been uncertain for some time now, per talkSPORT, and the summer of 2015 might be the perfect opportunity to strike for Mancini. The star midfielder turns 32 in May, and the Citizens could decide it’s time to cash in on one of their best players before his play starts to decline.

Whether the Nerazzurri will be willing to pay big money for Toure is another matter, however. As reported by Football Italia, club president Erick Thohir seems less open to the idea of bringing him into the fold.

“He is a great player, but we have to ask ourselves if he is right for our team,” Thohir told Mediaset Premium. “We want to sign players for at least three years, not two.”

Inter have been one of the most active teams in the January transfer window, determined to give Mancini every opportunity to turn the disastrous 2014-15 campaign around. Sitting in 10th place in the Serie A standings, the Nerazzurri have already strengthened the squad with Xherdan Shaqiri, Lukas Podolski and Marcelo Brozovic.

Not afraid to spend big, adding a veteran contributor like Toure to the mix would make sense. The powerful midfielder is one of the very best around, and his impact on City is perhaps best illustrated by the club’s pedestrian record when he hasn’t been able to play, per Squawka Football:

Toure is a fantastic scorer—he has nine goals already this season, per WhoScored.com—and provides the club with a calming, physical presence in midfield, allowing the likes of David Silva and Samir Nasri to play without having to worry too much about their defensive duties.

Writing for Bleacher Report UK, Jonathan Wilson believes the Ivorian is one of the most uniquely gifted players in the Premier League, not understating how much his absence will hurt City’s chances against Premier League leaders Chelsea:

Selling a player with such a large impact on the squad seems absurd unless an adequate replacement can be found, and given Toure’s unique skills, finding such a replacement is easier said than done.

In any case, according to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, the player himself is keen on a reunion with his former manager in the Italian fashion capital (h/t FourFourTwo‘s Adam Digby):

Ultimately, a potential transfer will likely come down to how City officials feel about Toure moving forward. The Ivorian is on the wrong side of 30 and currently reportedly earns around £210,000 per week, per The Independent’s Simon Rice.

If Inter can provide City with a fair offer, the chance to clear that much money off the wage bill for an aging player could simply be too good to pass up. Toure still has plenty to offer, but football is a business. With UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules in full effect, clubs are sometimes forced to make difficult decisions like this one.

 

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