Gunners cash in with 16m Toure switch
ARSENAL defender Kolo Toure was last night on the brink of completing his £16m move to Manchester City after jetting back from the Gunners’ Austrian training camp.
Toure is thought to have flown back to England to undergo a medical, after cash-strapped Arsenal accepted a bid from mega-rich City, their rivals for a top-four place.
The Ivory Coast international is said to have agreed a double-your-money £120,000-a-week deal at Eastlands and could be presented as City’s latest lavish signing as early as tomorrow.
Toure’s sale represents a profit of more than £15.5m for shrewd Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who admitted yesterday that he could sacrifice the 28-year-old from his roster of centre-backs. “We have seven centre-backs and I am in the position where I have to play some in midfield,” he said. “But of course Kolo is a very good player and we will see what will happen in the next 24 hours.”
Having already sold striker to Emmanuel Adebayor to City earlier this month for £25m, Wenger has more than £40m to plough into the team in order to ensure the ambitious Eastlands outfit do not steal their top-four spot.
All eyes will now be on whether the traditionally spendthrift Frenchman will invest the full amount, and Wenger hinted he was ready to act.
“I am more focused on getting everybody fit for the start of the season but we are looking at opportunities as well,” he added. “There are still some pre-season games to see what we really need. When the time comes we will do something.”
Despite boasting depth in defence, Wenger has again been linked with a move for Fulham’s Norwegian centre-back Brede Hangeland. Adebayor’s departure, meanwhile, led to rumours of a move for another striker, with Real Madrid’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Roma’s Mirko Vucinic mentioned.
However, central midfield remains an area in which the Gunners are considered weak, and Wenger showed himself ready to strengthen that department with his interest in the Brazilian Felipe Melo, who has since joined Juventus. He has also been linked with Wigan’s England Under-21 midfielder Lee Cattermole.
WILY WENGER ARSENE’S SHREWDEST DEALS
Kolo Toure
BOUGHT
ASEC Abidon
February 02
£150,000
SOLD*
Manchester City
July 07
£16m
PROFIT
£15.8m
* subject to agreement
Patrick Vieira
BOUGHT
AC Milan
August 96
£3.5m
SOLD
Juventus
July 05
£13.7m
PROFIT
£10.2m
Marc Overmars
BOUGHT
Ajax
June 07
£7m
SOLD
Barcelona
August 00
£25m
PROFIT
£18m
Nicolas Anelka
BOUGHT
Paris SG
February 97
£500,000
SOLD
Real Madrid
August 99
£23m
PROFIT
£22.5m
Emmanuel Adebayor
BOUGHT
Monaco
January 06
£7m
SOLD
Manchester City
July 09
£25m
PROFIT
£18m
Thierry Henry
BOUGHT
Juventus
August 99
£10.5m
SOLD
Barcelona
June 07
£16.1m
PROFIT
£5.6m