Man United will be in the market for another midfielder this summer and Yaya Toure would love nothing more than to play at Old Trafford. Just how will Jose Mourinho cope without his beloved Marouane? With each passing day, the likelihood of Marouane Fellaini inking a new deal with United is diminished. And the Belgian now has just three weeks to sign on the dotted line before his spell at Old Trafford is consigned to the history books. Although United have agreed a transfer fee with Shakhtar Donetsk for Fred, who will replace retired skipper Michael Carrick, Fellaini’s departure would present executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward with a fresh headache.
United have already spent 47% of what they did in the whole of last summer and are still in the market for a left-back and a centre-back. There is not another £200m lying around and there will not be a huge exodus of players to help raise funds – unless they ask to leave. So, what is the alternative? For all the money he has spent down through the years, Mourinho loves a bargain. Indeed, since landing Michael Ballack in the summer of 2006 for Chelsea, the Portuguese has signed seven players on a free transfer. While there have been some misses, such as Tal Ben Haim and Steve Sidwell, that has not put Mourinho off from beefing up his squad with experienced heads.
Mark Schwarzer and Dider Drogba, for example, joined a youthful Chelsea side ahead of Mourinho winning his last title in 2015 when the pair were entering the twilight of their careers. So, is there any value in the free transfer market after Premier League teams confirmed their retained and released lists on Friday? With nearly 600 first-team appearances under his belt, and 17 trophies in his cabinet, Yaya Toure is the standout name. And what was once an unthinkable prospect, suddenly, does not seem so absurd anymore. ““I don’t rule big teams out,” the Ivorian told MEN Sport only last month when asked about a move to United. “The big teams are very important for me. What they want to achieve, the way they want to go, for me is very important. “I want to go somewhere I can win and achieve.”
Toure’s notorious agent, Dimitri Seluk, has already revealed his client would play for £1-a-week at a top six club. However tongue in cheek that comment was, Toure is not looking to the Far East for another big pay day. Even before you factor in his recent comments about Pep Guardiola, he clearly has a point to prove to his former manager. What better place to do that than in Manchester, where he already has roots after eight years in the city?
