West Ham are reluctant to sign Yaya Toure despite holding talks with the midfielder about signing him, according to The Sun.
The national newspaper claim that the Hammers were keen to recruit the 35-year-old midfielder following his Manchester City deal expiring this summer, but that the player’s rant about Pep Guardiola had put the club off.
The Sun report that Toure’s decision to launch a personal attack on the Man City boss where he accused him of having a problem with African players had resulted in the Hammers all but given up on signing the player.
According to The Sun’s Hammer source, who is quoted in the story, the London club believe that Toure is perceived as having too much baggage to pursue even if Manuel Pellegrini likes the player.
OPINION
Toure would be a high-profile name to arrive at the London Stadium this summer, given the fact he has won the Premier League title three times and made 230 in England’s top-flight. However it’s easy to see why the Hammers are put off signing the veteran midfielder despite his past accolades as they want a positive atmosphere at the club. While Toure may settle in and not be a toxic presence at the Hammers under Pellegrini, there’s no guarantee of that and his recent rant should act as a red flag to any potential deal being done for him. The Sun claim that Toure wants a huge signing-on fee as well as bonuses which means that if recruited by the Hammers he could be on a deal worth in the region of £100,000-a-week. Considering that he isn’t guaranteed to have a positive impact off-the-field or on-the-field if recruited, the Hammers would be crazy to spend that sort of money on having him at the club.
