Recent rumors have emerged that Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré is set to become the first player from England to be signed by the new Jiangsu Suning-Inter Milan partnership.

Reports from Italy said that the Suning contingent had arrived in Milan last Saturday to work on the potential transfer of the 33-year-old Ivorian from the English Premier League side to the Chinese Super League club this summer.

Like Us on Facebook

The group is reportedly going to have a "series of meetings" about the possibility of acquiring Touré and then loaning him to I Nerazzurri in the coming season as part of the recent Internazionale takeover of the said Chinese conglomerate.

The visit culminated with a shareholder's meeting on Tuesday which could finally initiate a formal bid for the former Barcelona standout.

Football Italia indicated that the Suning delegation included Suning Commerce Group president Ren Jun, Suning Commerce Group vice-chairman Sun Weimin, Suning Investment Group vice-president Yang Yang, Suning Commerce Group vice-president Bu Yang, and Suning Sports Group vice-president and Jiangsu Suning FC general manager Liu Jun.

The report said that Suning's number one priority this summer is getting Touré and that "Inter could afford to pay for his wages and transfer fee by making the Ivorian the face of Suning in China with lucrative sponsorship deals".

Meanwhile, the Mirror reported that City is actually open to offers for the 6-foot-2 Bouaké, Ivory Coast native, but the club sees Inter as lacking in funds to submit an appropriate bid for the midfielder.

However, with Suning's recent takeover funds are no longer a problem for the Italian club.

Another problem is Touré's insistence that he wants to stay for the remaining one year of his contract in Manchester and then leave the club via a free transfer next season as he believes he could have "a much greater choice of clubs next summer as a free agent".

It all comes down to incoming head coach Pep Guardiola, though. If the Spanish manager wants him around and has plans for him then he would more likely stay.

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League rumors, Manchester City, Yaya Toure, Jiangsu Suning FC, Inter Milan