Toure could net record-breaking deal in China

LONDON — Yaya Toure will be offered a stunning £30 million (S$62.2 million)-a-year contract to move to China, following the confirmation that Pep Guardiola will become the Manchester City manager in the summer.

Guardiola’s arrival has been widely tipped as being bad news for Toure, who left Barcelona for City while the Spaniard was in charge at the Nou Camp in 2010.

Despite the claims of his agent that the four-time African Footballer of the Year will leave City in the summer, associates of Toure still insist the 32-year-old wants to stay at the Etihad.

But that decision may well be taken out of Toure’s hands by Guardiola, who is already planning an expensive summer overhaul of the City team that is likely to include the signing of a new central midfielder.

Toure, though, will not be short of suitors and could, in fact, be made the third highest earner in world football if he accepts an offer to become the latest star to move to China.

It is understood that at least three Chinese clubs have already expressed an interest in signing Toure with one, thought to be Jiangsu Suning, discussing the prospect of paying the player £30 million-a-year after tax.

That would see Toure earn £576,923 a week in China, which is more than double his current £240,000-a-week salary at City.

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is the highest earner in world football on £47.8 million a year, while Cristiano Ronaldo is estimated to collect £39.7 million a year at Real Madrid.

But the money on offer in China would put Toure ahead of the current third-best paid player in the world, Neymar, who is paid £26.8 million a year by Barcelona.

Such a lucrative contract would certainly ease the blow of being squeezed out of City by Guardiola, but Toure — who has a year remaining on his contract at the end of the season — will receive offers from all over the globe and may need convincing that, aged 32, China represents his best option.

Chinese Super League clubs are currently throwing money at footballers based in Europe and South America, with Guangzhou Evergrande confirming yesterday its signing of Atletico Madrid striker Jackson Martinez for a new record sum of €42 million (S$64.6 million) in the Asian transfer market.

Jiangsu has already spent over £20 million to sign Ramires from Chelsea and will pay the midfielder £10 million a year net. Chelsea captain John Terry could earn around £20 million a year after tax by finishing his career in China, while Shanghai SIPG, managed by Sven Goran Eriksson, were prepared to pay Wayne Rooney £25 million a year to tempt him away from Manchester United.

Super-agent Jorge Mendes has already established business links in China, while Pini Zahavi has also been active in trying to identify and take players to the Far East.

The future of Toure will certainly be one of the most pressing issues for Guardiola, who will inform striker Wilfried Bony and central defender Eliaquim Mangala that they are not part of his plans and are free to leave the club.

Despite the insistence of associates that his agent, Dimitry Seluk, does not speak for the player when he says he will leave City in the summer, there are clearly differences between Toure and Guardiola that date back to their days at Barcelona.

In 2014, Toure was quoted by a Spanish radio station as saying: “Whenever I asked him (Guardiola) something, he always gave me strange answers. He pretty much ignored me until City’s offer came in.

“That’s why I eventually opted to leave. I didn’t speak to Guardiola for a year. If he had talked to me, I would have stayed at Barcelona.

“I did not want to go and wanted to end my career at Barcelona. However, he had no faith in me.”

Guardiola opted to play defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets ahead of Toure at Barca. Toure has often been accused of neglecting his defensive midfield duties and Guardiola is not likely to accommodate any player who cannot carry out his instructions.

Despite his defensive deficiencies, Toure has still netted decisive goals for City this season — against Norwich City and Watford — and he will be remembered as an important player in the club’s history when he leaves. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH