Yaya Toure deal edges closer

While Yaya Toure has been preparing for tonight’s game against Brazil, the deal to bring him to City appears close to conclusion. El Mundo Deportivo reports that the deal could be announced on Monday.

This would be terrific news. Firstly the player would be a valuable addition to the squad. Secondly it would send a message to other potential targets that City can be a home to the very best players despite not having Champions League football in the coming season.

Signing a player of Toure’s calibre from Barcelona seemed unlikely after we finished fifth, so this would be a real coup for the club.

Elsewhere in the Spanish press, the news is less encouraging. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is reported to prefer a move back to Milan rather than Manchester. It’s noticeable that stories linking Ibra with City are confined to the Spanish press.

Robinho’s excellent performance against North Korea was great for City. The Brazilian now looks like a player to be coveted and it’s to be hoped his good form continues against Ivory Coast. The idea of him playing for Barca no longer looks far fetched, and this could be interesting if we wanted to do a deal for Ibra. Neither player would be easy to put a value on, and a swap could be a convenient solution.

David Silva is the player City have been most strongly linked with after Yaya Toure, so it was disappointing to see him today talking up the idea of playing with Chelsea. If we were to miss out on the expensive Silva and sign Mesut Ozil instead, then few tears would be shed over here. The advantage of Silva is his ability to play on the wings as well as through the middle.

With the World Cup dominating the sports pages, City are able to continue their transfer negotiations in relative peace. For the club, this probably makes life easier and hopefully deals can be put in place.