Five potential replacements for Yaya Toure at Manchester City

There is no doubting the impact that Yaya Toure has had since he arrived at Manchester City, 6/1 to win the Premier League, though just recently has been the subject of much criticism in his team’s slight slump in form. He is 31, however, and it is likely he won’t be playing a major part in the team for too much longer.

As a result, Coral have come up with five potential replacements for the Ivorian, who can make a similar impression.

Paul Pogba
If City pay him enough, and are prepared to meet Juventus’ asking price, Pogba would be ideal for the club. It would also be a double coup, due to the 21-year-old being released by fierce rivals Manchester United. He has scored 16 goals and contributed 18 assists in 101 appearances across all competitions for the Turin titans since joining, helping the club to win two titles.

Marek Hamsik
The 27-year-old Napoli star has been in devastating form throughout his career at the club, scoring 70 goals and laying on 58 assists in 256 appearances for the club. In recent years the Serie A side have sold both Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani to PSG, though Man City could register a credible interest, if they give Hamsik the opportunity to replace Toure. Any fee is likely to be around the £35m mark.

Ross Barkley
Traditionally, City’s English signings haven’t been treated all that warmly by management, who have often preferred to play foreign personnel. Scott Sinclair is barely used, while James Milner is a squad player. Former Everton player Jack Rodwell was offloaded to Sunderland, while their other Toffees signing Joleon Lescott had one successful season, before recently leaving for West Bromwich Albion. Barkley must go with an appetite to fulfil his immense potential and hit the ground running, or he could become another wasted talent.

Arturo Vidal
Again plying his trade at Juve, the 27-year-old Chilean would link up with compatriot Manuel Pellegrini if he decided to join City. It would be major steal, with rivals United courting his signature in the summer, and he would definitely slot straight into Toure’s shoes.

Aaron Ramsey
What a capture he would be. However, this may be tricky, with Arsenal no longer needing to sell players. It would come down to where the player feels he can be more successful, or what either team can offer him in terms of deals. However, he is more than capable of replacing the Ivorian.