Manchester City Transfer News: Yaya Toure Talks Exit, Jose Maria Gimenez Rumours

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is leaving his options open for the end of this season after refusing to rule out a summer switch to Italy. The Citizens also have competition from Serie A as Inter Milan join the race for Jose Maria Gimenez.

Toure spoke to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Calciomercato.com) and talked about his past links with Italy, as well as leaving the door open to a potential transfer following rumours of a move to Inter:

"There were several contacts with Italian football in the past, but then I followed different, important paths like Barcelona and Manchester City. You never say never in life.

"The thing that struck me the most was the crowd. They are really passionate, spectacular supporters. The San Paolo is a stadium which doesn't leave you indifferent, even as an opponent. Support like that of the Napoli fans gives extra strength to their team.

"I'm not afraid as a City player, but I am concerned by the lift they give to the home team. In moments of difficulty, fans like Napoli's can be decisive."

Toure signed a new one-year deal at the Etihad Stadium in June after it looked as though he could leave the club for free last summer, and he will be able to do so again in June 2018 unless he pens new terms.

The Ivorian's prominence at City has deteriorated since Pep Guardiola took over as manager—his only starts this season have come in the Carabao Cup. The tactician failed to give much away when explaining his decision to drop Toure ahead of a UEFA Champions League clash against Feyenoord, via Goal's Sam Lee:

Toure will turn 35 by the end of this season and looks likely to be deemed surplus to requirements, and Italy may provide an amicable escape as City's midfield adds new weapons and evolves without his services.

Fernandinho has taken on the role of City destroyer and acted as a foil for the more offensive stars at the club, and Match of the Day suggested they're not suffering from Toure's absence after a 7-2 drubbing of Stoke City in October:

Elsewhere, Italian website FCInterNews (via Football Italia, h/t MailOnline's Robert Cottingham) reported Inter are also prepared to tussle with the Citizens in their efforts to land Atletico Madrid star Gimenez.

Gimenez naturally plays as a centre-back, but Spanish football writer Simon Harrison nodded to his versatility after he was preferred to Atleti's usual custodian at right-back earlier this season:

Like Toure, the 22-year-old is out of contract next year and could be a handy pickup for free as of next summer, or one of his European admirers could hope to tempt Atletico into a cut-price winter deal.

John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi have formed Guardiola's central-defensive partnership of choice as captain Vincent Kompany has been injured for much of this season, while Eliaquim Mangala has also been in rotation.

Uruguay international Gimenez would be considered an upgrade on the latter, however. Cottingham wrote that rivals Manchester United were one of the teams interested over the summer, and Atleti are "believed to be willing" to accept a payment of less than his £56 million release clause.

That's sure to be the case the closer Gimenez runs to the expiry of his contract next summer, with the South American also free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with teams outside Spain at the end of January.