Man City make new Yaya Toure a priority target as sources reveal Man Utd interest | OneFootball

Manchester City, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are all showing interest in rising Trabzonspor star Christ Inao Oulai, sources have revealed.

Deep in the heart of Turkish football, 19-year-old Oulai is making the kind of noise that can’t be ignored. He arrived at Trabzonspor in the summer of 2025 as a relatively unknown quantity from SC Bastia, but within months the Ivorian midfielder has forced his way into conversations usually reserved for Europe’s established elite.

Tall, wiry and deceptively strong, Oulai plays with the calm authority of someone twice his age. He wins the ball high, turns defence into attack in two touches, and has an uncanny knack of arriving late in the box – just ask the defenders who watched his first senior goal sail past them this season.

In only ten league appearances he has already shown he can dominate games against seasoned Turkish midfields, blending relentless pressing with the vision to thread passes through the eye of a needle.

The whispers of a potential transfer started in September. First, Man City sent their top recruiters, then Bayern Munich, and by November, Man Utd had joined the queue.

All three clubs, according to our sources in England, Germany and Turkey, now consider Oulai one of the highest-priority teenage targets on the continent.

City view him as the ideal long-term partner – or eventual successor – for Rodri. Bayern see a player ready to step into the void left by departing veterans. Man Utd, still searching for midfield identity, believe his blend of power and finesse could be the missing piece.

‘Le Petit Yaya’ to cost upwards of €40m

Trabzonspor, unsurprisingly, are in no rush to sell. They tied the teenager to a contract until 2030 and are said to be holding out for a fee north of €40million (£35m / $46.5m).

For a club that prides itself on developing and then profiting from talent, Oulai represents their biggest potential windfall in years.

Back in Yopougon, the neighbourhood that raised him, they already call him “Le Petit Yaya”. The comparison to Yaya Toure is lazy but inevitable: same country, same position, same ability to make the difficult look effortless.

Amid January approaches, the rumours will intensify. Trabzonspor insist he is not for sale mid-season, but in the modern game, every player has his price.

One thing is certain: Oulai will not be playing in the Turkish Super Lig this time next year. The only question is which European giant will win the race.

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