A reunion with former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure at West Ham is now “not a priority” for manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Toure, 35, agreed a release from Olympiacos on Tuesday after he had made just five appearances. The Ivory Coast veteran had joined the Greek side in the summer on a free transfer after a glorious eight-year stint at Etihad Stadium came to an end, spurning talks with the Hammers in the process.
His free-agent status has led to renewed links, as boss Pellegrini was at City with Toure from 2013-16. These rumours, however, gained short shrift from the Chilean ahead of Saturday’s clash with promoted Fulham.
He said: “I spoke with Yaya at the beginning of the season.
“Yaya is a great player, a top player that plays in every part of the role.
“I don’t know what happened with him in Greece.
“But in this moment we are just thinking about the next game that we are going to play and I don’t want to talk until the end of December about the window and which players that we need.
“At this moment, I cannot answer your question. It’s not a priority as in that position we already have players.”
Ex-City attacking midfielder Samir Nasri continues to train with West Ham.
