Yaya Toure, Manchester City’s Ivorian midfielder, will turn 32 later this month, and after a season in which he’s failed to recapture the form of old, there’s talk, once again, of a move away from the Etihad in the next transfer window.

According to Mike Keegan writing in the Daily Mail, Toure is wanted by former boss Roberto Mancini, now in charge at Inter Milan. Inter have struggled this year, and it’s likely Mancini sees Toure as a potential catalyst for improved performances.

After scoring 20 league goals last season, arguably making him City’s most important player during their league-and-cup double-winning campaign, Toure has regressed during 2014-15.

The loss of his younger brother to cancer during the summer adversely affected him, and his absence from City during January when he went to play at this year’s AFCON tournament in Equatorial Guinea has also disrupted his rhythm.

His influence at City has undoubtedly been on the decline over the last 12 months.

Manuel Pellegrini, the City boss, recently expressed his concern at Toure’s form this season. “For a lot of reasons he’s not the same Yaya he was last season but he continues being a very important player for our team,” said Pellegrini. 

“I don’t think Yaya is happy with his performance this year, and I am not happy also with his performance. But we must support him and he will return him to his normal performance.

“He’s a very important player and he will have my support until the end of the season.”

He’s scored fewer goals and had less influence this season, and City have struggled to compensate for his decline and remain competitive for the title.

Add to that the seemingly constant interventions from his agent, Dimitry Seluk, who continually looks to unsettle his client, and the case for selling Toure perhaps becomes stronger. The City fans are fed up of the constant speculation surrounding their star midfielder, and for many, his interventions are reason enough to dispense of his services. 

Of course, replacing him remains the impossible task; with his mix of attributes so unique there simply isn’t another player who can fulfil the same role. But City, you feel, need to begin the process of rebuilding and preparing for life without their influential midfielder, and this summer is perhaps the best time start. 

And a switch to Serie A, if it materialised, would be a good move for Toure. The speed of the game is much slower, and with Toure set to turn 32 later this month, his blistering pace is likely to be on the decline. With his standing in world football still so high, it’s probably the right time for everyone if he moves on. 

If he does leave City this summer, he will be remembered as one of the greatest players in the club’s history. There have been times when his languid style has frustrated City supporters, with accusations of laziness thrown around liberally in the stands, but the list of defining moments Toure has delivered means he’s a bona fide Sky Blues legend.

His winner against Manchester United in the 2011 FA Cup was seismic—the moment City finally arrived and their fans believed they could be successful. He then bagged the winner in the final against Stoke, bringing an end to the club’s agonising 35-year wait for a major trophy, taking City from a side full of potential to one ready to become the dominant English force over the coming years.

A double in the penultimate game of the 2011-12 season away at Newcastle pushed City to the brink of their first title in 44 years, and a goal in last season’s League Cup final win, followed by a series of vital strikes in the run-in as City closed in on their second title in three years, further underlined his big-game credentials.

They’re memories imprinted upon the consciousness of everyone connected to City. Toure’s position in the pantheon of City greats is well and truly secure. But football, as the saying goes, is no place for sentiment, and it is perhaps time he and City parted company after five glorious and successful years together. 

 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report’s lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.

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