Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has revealed he rejected an approach from Manchester United last season, but decided to move to their bitter rivals instead “because they have not won anything for a long time”

The Ivorian suggests the challenge of propelling Manchester City in to the higher echelons of English football, alongside their more revered Premier League rivals, was one of the main reasons he decided to move to the Eastlands club.

The former Barcelona star also claims the opportunity to play in the same club side as his older brother, Kolo, was too great to reject.

Toure told the The Guardian: "Last year Manchester United were interested in signing me,

"When I was talking about renewing my contract [with Barca], United asked if I wanted to sign for them.

"United are a big club, one of the biggest in the world, but I chose Manchester City because they have not won anything for a long time.

In addition to the challenge that awaits Manchester City and their new signing, Toure intimated the presence of his brother was a defining factor in his move to Roberto Mancini’s side.

Toure continued: “It's an interesting challenge for me and I hope everything goes well. I saw a lot of things written about why I left but, for me, I wanted to play with my brother,

"That was very important for me. Now I've signed for City I'm very happy. Now my brother and I want to make great things happen at this club and I'm sure we'll do it.

“My motivation is to do great things with Manchester City, to finish second or third maybe, to get into the Champions League."