• City happy for out-of-favour midfielder to join a title rival in January • Guardiola will not pick Touré unless his agent apologies for comments

Yaya Touré is free to join any Premier League club in January, with Manchester City prepared to allow the midfielder to leave for a direct rival.

Touré has yet to decide if he wants to depart in the winter window despite Pep Guardiola’s declaration that the Ivorian will not play for City again unless his agent, Dimitri Seluk, apologises for recent criticism. It is understood the club would countenance the Ivorian moving to another domestic team even if they were challenging City for the title.

The view at the Etihad Stadium is that at 33, Touré’s best days are behind him and so if the midfielder were to attract interest he would be unlikely to damage City’s chances of success.

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There is an outside chance he could play for City again and see out his £220,000-a-week contract, which finishes next June. However, Guardiola has made clear Seluk would have to say sorry for accusing the Catalan of humiliating Touré by leaving him out of the club’s Champions League squad. In response to Guardiola’s demand, Seluk insisted there would be no apology.

As Touré also retired from international football with the Ivory Coast on Tuesday there is the prospect of him playing no football at all until next season unless he were to depart City in January.

Even if Seluk does apologise it appears unlikely Touré will become a regular in the first team again, having featured only once under Guardiola since his arrival at City– in the Champions League play-off second leg against Steaua Bucharest.