His time at Manchester City dwindling down, Yaya Toure is expected to leave the club soon, and he will be paid handsomely wherever he may go. Toure, 33, has been a staple of the Sky Blues' midfield since 2010, when he was acquired from Barcelona for fee of £24m.

Toure’s most successful showing for Man City came in 2014, when he produced 24 goals, culminating in a Premier League title. Toure also played a prominent role in helping lead Man City to a title in 2012, breaking a stretch of 42 seasons where the club had failed to do so.

Although his role diminished as the 2015/16 season wore on, Toure still contributed eight goals over the campaign, pushing his total with Man City to 72. Despite still having a year left on his contract, Toure is expected to leave, opening up a gap in the Manchester City midfield.

He’s been offered as much as £300,000-a-week by evolving Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG.

But, who is the most likely candidate to replace the presence of the Ivory Coast native? Here are FIVE options...

Ilkay Gundogan

While nothing has been confirmed, it appears that Gundogan will be on the move to Manchester City for a £17.8m fee. The Germany international seems to be on the radar of Guardiola as he plots to rebuild his new midfield.

Gundogan has spent the past five seasons with Borussia Dortmund, scoring 10 goals over his tenure with the club. This season, he has three goals and registered six assists in 42 appearances.

Gundogan would have been a member of Germany for the EURO 2016 campaign, but instead is sidelined with a dislocated kneecap. He is expected to return by the end of August.

Thiago Alcantara

It’s documented from his last managing gig that Pep Guardiola is a fan of Thiago Alcantara.

So will Thiago follow him for a second time in his career?

Thiago has been a valuable component for Bayern’s three of four straight Bundesliga titles, although he was plagued by knee injuries for a good share of 2014 and 2015. Thiago has since returned to form and inked a four-year deal in August of 2015, one that is scheduled to take him to 2019. Thiago is in his prime and it would take a hefty sum of money to remove him from Bayern. However, Man City have a strong enough financial backing to make a solid pitch for the Spanish international, who is a technically astute playmaker.

They also have the manager that has the greatest chance to make it a reality.

Paul Pogba

Manchester City would be smart to try and acquire the talents of Pogba, a French international, although getting him won’t be easy.

Juventus have captured the Serie A title each of the past five years, with Pogba being a central component of the midfield for the past four. The Old Lady also captured the Coppa Italia the past two seasons.

Pogba is was named to the UEFA Team of the Year in 2015, and if he decides to leave Juventus, a return to Manchester United, his first club, is seen as unlikely.

Pogba will enter the new season on the heels of being the top assist provider in Serie A, registering 12 helpers.

[ad_pod id='chelsea-players' align='center']

Arturo Vidal

If Thiago isn’t brought to Man City, Guardiola may look elsewhere, perhaps In the direction of Vidal, the 29-year-old Chilean.

The Blues aren’t the only Premier League powerhouse interested in the former-Juventus star’s services, as both Manchester United and Chelsea are in the pursuit of the box-to-box midfielder.

This season, Vidal helped lead Bayern Munich to the double, scoring seven goals in 47 appearances this season. During his four year stint with Juventus, he won a Serie A title each season while registering 48 goals.

[ad_pod id='chelsea-players' align='center']

Toni Kroos

Kroos, one of the more distinctive playmakers in Europe and will be entering year three of a six year contract with Real Madrid.

The Germany international shouldn’t be heading anywhere, but not for a lack of those wanting him.

He has been a documented target of Man City, having spent one season under Guardiola in 2013-14 with Bayern Munich, where they won a league title and a cup double.

That season under Guardiola propelled Kroos to becoming a world star, as he followed the league title with a World Cup win with Germany, starring in Brazil. After joining Real Madrid, he won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA World Club Cup, all in the same calendar year.

Kroos finished with the most assists in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, tying Columbia’s Juan Cuadrado with four.

[ad_pod id='chelsea-players' align='center']