Toure readies Article 17 plan?
By Football Italia staff
Yaya Toure’s assumed ambition to leave Manchester City reportedly has him ready to initiate FIFA’s Article 17, as Inter continue to be linked.
The midfielder is increasingly expected to leave the English team in the summer, with his agent suggesting as much this week, before also hinting that consistently linked Inter ‘are an option’.
The Gazzetta dello Sport follow this up today with a reflection on the Nerazzurri’s chase for the 31-year-old, writing that Roberto Mancini’s interest began as early as before Christmas, just weeks into his second stint at San Siro.
The Gazzetta also reiterate that Toure’s mind is increasingly on leaving City in the summer and that if the Premier League side are unwilling to allow him to leave at a price an interested party can agree to, he would be willing to invoke Article 17 of FIFA’s regulations.
This is a rule that allows players over the age of 28, who have signed their most recent contract over two years ago, to buy themselves out of that contract, which would be at reduced compensation.
With Toure’s last deal signed in April 2013, the Ivory Coast man is set to qualify for this rule, one that would then prevent him only from signing for another club in the same country within the next 12 months.
However, the Gazzetta make clear that this is only a back-up option, with the onus instead on Inter to agree financial terms with both City and Toure’s agent Dimitri Seluk.
Toure’s annual salary of 11m net is still seen as the major barrier to any negotiations, though he is believed ready to take a significant cut on that, in exchange for an extended deal.
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