Yaya Toure in talks with second-tier Chinese club

SHANGHAI: Former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is in talks about a move to Qingdao Huanghai, the second-tier Chinese club told AFP on Friday.

The 36-year-old has been without a team since December after an unsuccessful three-month spell at Olympiakos in Greece. There were suggestions that the former Ivory Coast international had retired, but he denied that earlier this week and said he wanted to keep playing “for a few more years”.

It appears that his swansong could now be a sojourn in eastern China at Qingdao, who are top of the second-tier China League One and play in Barcelona colours. Toure was pictured on Thursday arriving at the city’s airport and British media said that he was poised to sign.

A Qingdao Huanghai press official initially told AFP that Toure was to have a trial to prove his fitness, but later moved to clarify that. “It’s more like a mutual negotiation and communication for Toure’s transfer. After all, he is a big-name football player,” the spokesman said.