When Yaya Toure said he would be staying at Manchester City next season, Roberto Mancini wasn’t listening.
The Inter Milan boss, who led Toure and City to a Premier League title in 2012, said he will still try to sign the midfielder this summer.
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After months of speculation that Toure was going to leave Manchester for Inter after the season, he seemingly put an end to the chatter when he told the Manchester Evening News “I will definitely stay. The fans don’t have to be worried.”
However, Mancini has now made the headlines saying he hasn’t given up hope on bringing the Ivorian to the San Siro, as he is still waiting to hear from Toure himself.
Speaking to La Stampa:He [Toure] was the one who told me he wanted to look for new destinations.
I spent six months explaining to him what he would find at Inter, then he spoke with his club and he fell off of our radar.
But I haven’t given up on this, I’m waiting to hear his own side of the story and in the meantime I remain hopeful.
Or else why would he have spent six months telling me that he wanted to come to Milan?”
Despite Toure’s words, it seems Mancini believes there is more to the story. If anyone could lure Toure away from the Etihad it would be Mancini, who enjoyed great success and had a strong relationship with him back in his tenure at City.
Next season, Manchester City will be challenging for the Premier League title and playing in the Champions League, while Inter finished a distant eighth place in Serie A, 32 points behind champions Juventus. After winning the Champions League in 2010, Mancini’s men will not be playing any European football next year.
As of today, Yaya Toure is a Citizen. If Toure were to go back on his word and make a move to Italy, he would surely become one of the most hated men in Manchester.
