Midfielder says he wants to remain in Europe like his friend, Ibrahimovic

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has explained that he turned down a huge offer from China to remain in England like his friend Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Toure according to reports turned down a £430,000-a-week offer from China to remain in England.

Ibrahimovic, a former teammate of Toure at Barcelona has agreed to remain at Manchester United for another year, rejected a staggering £1m-a-week from China.

Toure, 33 sees himself playing at the top level for some years.

“Yes, definitely. Look at my friend Ibrahimovic. He's 35 and he's going to play for maybe three more years,” the Ivory Coast midfielder said.

“He's got the same mentality as me. He's a big player, a champion who loves football.

“It's football first. Anything after that is a bonus. You can be lucky to go and play for big clubs and still earn a lot of money. But those who go to China, I don't think like that.

“I want to play in Europe, especially in England. I want to continue doing that for a few years yet.

“I know myself. If I was tired, I'd say "no more, move on". But I don't feel like that. I feel very, very good. I feel young.

“I always say that if I went to China I would end up feeling angry there.

“Do you play football because you love football or do you play because you want to make money? What's the purpose?

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“Me, I just want to play football because I enjoy it. I love playing. I enjoy helping my teammates, I enjoy playing against the big players and teams.

“I want to carry on in that way. Some people have the mentality that they want to do that, to try something different. But, for me, my feeling is that I want to play more football.

“Especially at City, I want to give something back to the fans. I'd like to continue to work hard for them, keep giving them entertainment, keep them happy. That's what I want.”