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Happy birthday Yaya Toure: will tweet persuade him to stay?
Midfielder likely to leave Etihad this summer, despite a huge Champions League bonus and messages from fans
Yaya Toure turns 32 today and Manchester City have taken great care not to forget their midfielder's birthday following the debacle last year, when the club's failure to mark the occasion with an acceptable gift almost prompted the player to quit in disgust.
Although Toure is expected to leave City this summer after a disappointing season at the Etihad, City were determined to ensure that he was not ignored on his big day, tweeting their birthday wishes to the Ivory Coast star.
On Sunday, City fans sang 'Happy Birthday' to Toure during the 6-0 win over QPR and many supporters carried placards carrying birthday greetings for the player. Before the match a bookmaker flew a plane over the stadium with a banner reading 'Happy Birthday Yaya'.
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Given that Toure's agent, Dimitri Seluk, has already announced that Toure is 90 per cent certain to leave Manchester this summer, there could be a tongue-in-cheek element to all the tributes.
The Manchester Evening News comes up with a list of possible gifts for the Ivorian star, including a new agent. "Seluk's verbal offerings sullied Toure's superb 2013-14 campaign and the Ivorian's decision to side with him suggested just how detached he is from the supporters who pay his wages," says the paper.
It also suggests buying him a ticket to Milan, where he is wanted by Inter. Toure "has helped bring four trophies to Eastlands in five years, but looks past his peak now and City have not missed him in recent weeks," says the MEN.
One gift Toure will receive this week is a cheque for £720,000, says the Daily Mail. The million euro bonus is for qualifying for the Champions League, and City confirmed their place in the competition at the weekend. "The one thing Toure and his agent have never had cause to complain about is the staggering sums of money paid to him over the course of his contract," says the paper. "The former Barcelona midfielder is paid a basic salary of £220,000 a week and signed a new four year contract in April 2013."
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The same paper calculates that during his time at City, Toure has been paid £10m while he has been asleep.
