According to BBC Sports, Yaya Toure’s hopes of landing a new Manchester City contract will hinge on his international plans.
The £200,000-a-week Ivory Coast midfielder still has two years to run on his current deal, but is hoping for an extension that will enable him to spend the rest of his career at the Etihad.
City have indicated they are willing to open negotiations with the 29-year-old at the end of the season.
But the champions are wary of handing Toure anything more than a 12-month extension after being stripped of his services for the second successive season by his participation in the African Cup of Nations.
Toure looked jaded when he returned for the 3-1 defeat at Southampton last week after missing six games to play for the Ivory Coast in South Africa.
Twelve months ago, City was knocked out of both the FA Cup and League Cup in his absence as the Ivory Coast went all the way to the final in Gabon.
On his return last February, Toure indicated that he would not go to the 2013 tournament because of the impact his absence had on his club.
But he had a change of heart after it was made clear to him that it would be a final opportunity for his country’s so-called ‘golden generation’ to win a major title.
The next African Nations is scheduled for Morocco at the start of 2015 and Toure has already committed himself to helping the Ivory Coast to qualify for next year’s World Cup.
If they stay at the top of their group they will qualify for a two-legged play-off that will decide their fate.
But he is understood to be planning to retire from international football after Brazil 2014.
And he will be told that will give him a better chance of extending his career with City.
Toure has become a vital player at the Etihad since arriving from Barcelona in a £24million deal in the summer of 2010.
He scored the winning goal in the 2011 FA Cup Final at Wembley as City lifted their first trophy for 34 years and was a key figure in last season’s title triumph.
Source: BBC Sports
Read also:
http://en.africatopsports.com/2013/02/02/afcon-2013-yaya-toure-only-god-can-decide/