Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is closing on a move to Olympiakos, sources close to the Greek club have told ESPN FC.
Toure, 35, is a free agent after leaving City at the end of his contract and looks set to return to Olympiakos, where he played in 2005-06 before moving to Monaco.
Olympiakos are looking to win back the Greek title from AEK Athens after finishing third last term and see Toure’s experience and profile as key qualities.
The club are currently in England as they prepare for the second leg of their Europa League qualifier against Burnley, which they lead 3-1, on Thursday.
Earlier, Toure’s agent Dimitry Seluk claimed the midfielder had passed a medical in London on Tuesday, leading to speculation that he was about to sign for a club in the English capital.
Toure won three Premier League titles, three League Cups and an FA Cup in 315 appearances for Manchester City, scoring 79 goals for the club after joining from Barcelona in 2010.
Formerly a defender, Yaya Touré plays primarily in the centre as a box-to-box midfielder, often switching between offensive and defensive stances throughout matches. Touré is a complete and versatile midfielder, who can play in several midfield positions, is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world.
His key strengths are his passing range, vision and physical ability. He is gifted with good technique and ball control, although he also excels defensively at breaking down opposing attacking plays and winning back possession through his powerful tackling ability. He is known for his pace, stamina and physical presence, which is often combined with lungbursting runs from midfield, and he has been referred to as a “human train” and a “colossus” by various pundits.
Touré is frequently pushed forward during the latter part of matches, most notably in the penultimate match of the 2011–12 season against Newcastle United where Touré scored two late goals to win the match, and put Manchester City at the top of the league.
He is also capable of scoring goals due to his powerful striking ability from distance, and his heading ability, as well as his recently developed adeptness at scoring from set-pieces and penalties.
Touré has in his repertoire an unusual method of striking the ball, referred to by Norwegian Alexander Tettey as a “Yaya”, and described by BBC’s Pat Nevin as a way of striking the ball with a far back area of the foot close to the heel, allowing the ball to move in a straight line which a goalkeeper can find hard to read.