"I always wanted to play with him" – Yaya Toure says he wanted Manchester City to sign former Liverpool star during his time with club

Manchester City legend Yaya Toure has revealed that he had asked his former team to sign ex-Liverpool star Sadio Mane from Southampton.

Mane, 31, enjoyed a successful two-year stint at Southampton, registering 25 goals and 14 assists in 75 games across competitions. Following his performances at the St. Mary's Stadium, he secured a £34 million transfer to Jurgen Klopp's side in the summer of 2016.

A right-footed inside forward, the Bayern Munich ace won six trophies for the Reds before departing last summer. He scored 120 goals and provided 48 assists in 269 appearances.

On Match of the Day Africa: Top 10, Toure, a three-time Premier League winner, said that he wanted to play with the former Liverpool man at the Etihad:

"I always wanted to play with him. When I was at City, at the time when he was at Southampton, I highly regarded him, and I was asking some of my superiors to sign him.

"But in the end, it just didn't happen. After that, Klopp had the eyes to get him, and now look, what he did for Liverpool. He was brilliant. I like him."

Toure also lauded Mane for his work outside of football:

"The way he deals with things smoothly and the support he gives back to his people in his country is incredible. Some days, I get mad when I read media about him and a journalist will ask him, 'Why don't you have a Ferrari', and he says, 'No, I don't need it. I prefer to have a normal car'.

"Two months later we see him. He's been doing things back in his home country. He's a big example."

Mane, who joined Bayern Munich from Liverpool in a deal worth up to £35 million, has netted 12 goals in 38 matches for his current outfit.

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Manchester City close to signing Liverpool-linked Josko Gvardiol

According to The Times, Manchester City have stepped up talks to sign RB Leipzig ace Josko Gvardiol this summer. They're hoping to make the Liverpool-linked star the costliest defender in history, dishing out an initial fee of around £86 million plus bonuses.

Gvardiol, 21, has emerged as one of the top defensive prospects in the last two seasons. He joined Leipzig from his boyhood club Dinamo Zagreb for £16 million in the summer of 2020. Since then, he has helped them win the DFB Pokal twice. He also sizzled at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, helping Croatia finish third, scoring once in seven games.

The Croatian is expected to be a first-team starter at Manchester City and replace Aymeric Laporte, who's likely to leave this summer.