Yaya Toure’s future at Manchester City has been plunged into doubt after his agent made a bizarre rant against the Premier League champions over a perceived birthday snub.
The Ivory Coast midfielder, who is a year into a four-year deal worth £220,000 a week, is said to have been incensed that no one wished him happy returns last week at a title celebration party that coincided with his 31st birthday.
Toure’s agent Dimitri Seluk said: ‘There is a big possibility Yaya will leave this summer. He is very upset. What happened at his birthday means the club don’t care about him. It was proof.
‘They can say whatever they want, “Oh we like him but we forgot”. Forgot? About Yaya? The player who helped you to be two-times Premier League champions? The guy who helped you win the FA Cup and League Cup?
‘In a normal team, his team-mates and club would at least give him good wishes. But when you win the title and two days later you have a big party to celebrate the title and nobody comes to Yaya to say happy birthday, what more do you want?
‘If a player like Yaya went to Liverpool and they won the league for the first time in 24 years, Yaya would be a god in Liverpool,’ Seluk told The Sun.
‘But at City, Yaya is no hero. He’s nobody. That’s how the club make him feel. He’s very upset and he started thinking about leaving the club. And he will leave if things carry on like this.
‘We’re not doing this for more money. We probably can go for less money to another club. If they think they can buy everything, they are wrong. I think these people don’t care. Only s****d people would want Yaya to leave.’
Meanwhile, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has shrugged off the limitations of a £49million transfer cap by revealing that the club are well on the way to landing their summer targets.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side want defender Bacary Sagna on a free transfer from Arsenal and retain a strong interest in £35m-rated Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala and team-mate Fernando, despite UEFA’s punishment for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.
As well as having their net spending capped, City’s wage bill has been frozen, though £200,000-a-week will be freed up after Khaldoon confirmed that the club will not retain Gareth Barry and Joleon Lescott.
City spent nearly £100m on Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic last summer and Khaldoon said: ‘Expect the same – but even earlier. We know exactly what needs to be done.’
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