Pep Guardiola is ready to hand Yaya Toure a new one-year deal at Manchester City to extend his stay at the Etihad Stadium
YAYA TOURE could be offered one more year in a shock change of heart by Pep Guardiola.
The Manchester City boss effectively exiled the midfielder for the first few months of the season.
Yaya Toure could yet stay at Manchester City after forcing his way back into the sideGetty ImagesPep Guardiola could hand the Ivory Coast midfielder a new one-year deal to keep him at the Etihad StadiumGetty Images
The 33-year-old did not play in a Premier League game until November 19 – when he scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
Before then Pep suggested that the Ivorian star lacked the required levels of fitness.
But following a knee injury suffered by new signing Ilkay Gundogan in December Toure was given regular appearances again.
And only last week Guardiola described his form as “outstanding.”
Yaya Toure in action in the recent FA Cup semi-final loss to Arsenal at Wembley last weekGetty Images
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The 33-year-old was not involved in the squad at the start of the season after issues with his agent and Pep GuardiolaPA:Press Association
Yet Toure had still begun to fear that he would be leaving the Etihad when his current contract expires this summer despite insisting he believed he could play on for at least two more years.
What is more it was Guardiola who sold him to City in the first place.
His £24M switch from Barca in 2010 was one of the shocks of Europe at the time.
And their relationship was further strained early this season when Toure’s agent Dimitri Seluk claimed Guardiola had humiliated his man by leaving him out of City’s Champions League squad.
The powerful midfielder has had a hugely successful stay with Manchester City since he joined from BarcelonaReuters
The Etihad boss demanded an apology – made in the end by Toure on behalf of Seluk – and returned for the Palace clash.
Until recently Toure had thought that despite his perfomances and after making up with Pep he would be forced to move on.
It appeared that Toure would become part of a cull also likely to include Pablo Zabaleta, Jesus Navas, Aleksander Kolarov as Pep prepares for a huge summer of spending.
Instead he is likely to be given the chance of remaining after building bridges with his boss.
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