Speculation is mounting that the 32-year-old will leave the Etihad Stadium this summer, with Inter believed to be his likeliest destination
Wilfried Bony has urged countryman Yaya Toure to stay at Manchester City amid growing speculation he will quit the club.
Toure’s outspoken agent Dimitri Seluk was last week quoted as saying his client was “90 per cent” certain to leave City at the end of the season, with a move to Inter and a reunion with former boss Roberto Mancini believed to be his preferred choice.
But Bony, who revealed Toure played a key role in bringing him to the Etihad Stadium in January, insists the 32-year-old must be kept despite an underwhelming season.
“I talk to him about it all the time. He knows what I think. He brought me here so he needs to stay,” Bony told reporters. “He told me about this being a big club, how we were the champions.
“He told me it was a club that always fights – and I am always a fighter so I liked that. He told me about the pressure, everything.
“For sure everyone wants to keep him here. He’s a legend for this club for sure, he always will be. We hope he stays, he’s a big player here and we know everything he is doing for the club.
“It’s been difficult for him, but you have to remember it’s been three years where there’s been big tournaments, World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations.
“You need to play a lot of matches, you are playing in high temperatures, it’s not easy. Injuries can also occur in that time, the pressure and expectations are high.
“There are some things in football you can’t control, like when the tournaments come round, when you get injured. You just have to try to deal with them and help the team.”