Football
ESPN staff 7y

Manchester City's Yaya Toure 'likes football more than money' - agent

Yaya Toure's agent has told Sky Sports News the Manchester City midfielder "likes football more than money" amid reports there has been renewed interest from China.

Sky reported that Toure's agent, Dimitri Seluk, had said the Ivorian had turned down an offer worth £520,000-a-week from Jiangsu Suning in last year's winter transfer window.

"Yaya wants to play at the highest level," Seluk said. "He's happy at Manchester City. Yaya likes football more than money."

Toure, 33, has six months remaining on his City contract and some reports have suggested he could command a deal worth around £430,000-a-week if he were to move to China at this stage.

However, Press Association Sport reports that he has rejected other big-money offers from China because he wants to stay in Britain.

It remains unclear whether City, who signed Toure from Barcelona for £24 million in 2010, will offer him a new deal.

Toure was frozen out of the first-team picture by manager Pep Guardiola after his outspoken representative, Seluk, claimed the midfielder had been humiliated by his omission from City's Champions League squad.

That situation was resolved with an apology from Toure in November and he has produced a number of fine performances and regained a place in the heart of City's midfield over the past two months.

As his contract winds down, Toure is now entitled to speak to other clubs but he said earlier this month he would not.

He said: "No, I won't do that. My focus [is] on City. The future is there because for now the league is not finished." Regarding the possibility of a new deal at City, Guardiola last week said of Toure and other out-of-contract players: "We are going to see at the end of the season."

Guardiola recently confirmed that Toure would be included in City's Champions League squad for the knockout stage.

Information from the Press Association was used in this report.

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