(Reuters) – Yaya Toure has no intention of leaving Premier League champions Manchester City and is looking forward to the new season with them, he said on Friday.
“The fans have always been good to me, they’ve always been good to my family,” Toure told Sky Sports television.
“I want to stay. I will always honour my contract. I don’t think about all this speculation. It’s a big pleasure to stay and enjoy the next season.”
Media reports over the summer linked the midfielder with a number of clubs since his agent Dimitry Seluk tweeted in May that he was unsettled.
Seluk claimed that the Ivorian was not given proper recognition by the club on his birthday during a close-season trip to Abu Dhabi, comments subsequently supported by Touré on Twitter.
The furore was despite City posting a video on the club’s website showing the player being presented with a birthday cake.
“Everything is fine now. There was a lot of speculation, you know. I think sometimes it’s quite disappointing. I need to do something for the fans.
“The team is preparing well and we will try to win again next season,” added the 31-year-old who was one of the driving forces in City’s title triumph.
Toure, who signed a new four-year contract with City last year, was due for talks with City over his future before the club’s second match of their summer tour of the United States on July 27.
He is expected to join Manuel Pellegrini’s squad no later than three days before the champions face Milan at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
He joined City from Barcelona in 2010 and quickly became an influential figure in midfield, scoring the winning goal in the 2011 FA Cup final, and adding League championship medals in 2012 and 2014.
@alechogg Don't forget the money.
— Hemant Rijhumal (@HemantRij) July 18, 2014
