West Ham Offer Yaya Toure Contract as Ivorian Seeks Reunion With Former Manager Manuel Pellegrini

The first of West Ham's ambitious summer transfer plans may come to fruition in the next few days as reports claim they have made a contract offer to Yaya Toure.

Toure left Manchester City at the end of the season after eight years, but he is keen to remain in England and could be set for a reunion with former manager Manuel Pellegrini.

The Daily Mail claims that Toure is already discussing terms with West Ham and will take a significant pay cut from the £220,000 a week that he was earning at City.

Toure has courted controversy this week by claiming that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is prejudiced against African players, after spending most of City's title-winning season out of the team.

Toure made only one league start for City - in their final home match against Brighton - and complained that Guardiola had been "cruel" to him throughout the season.

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The Ivorian much prefers Guardiola's predecessor Pellegrini, who was appointed West Ham manager last month and could exert considerable influence in the transfer market with the backing of the club's owners.

The most prolific season of Toure's career came in the 2013/14 season under Pellegrini as the Ivorian scored 20 league goals on the way to Manchester City's title victory.

Toure has never scored more than 10 in any other Premier League season but hopes that he will be able to recapture some of the magic that once made him such a popular figure at the Etihad.

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The 35-year-old has spent this week training at Fulham's training ground in preparation for Sunday's Soccer Aid match, where he will be playing for the Rest of the World team against England.