Toure could prompt a number of Arsenal exits.

Former Arsenal captain, Kolo Toure, could be about to walk away from Arsenal following strong speculation of a bid from Manchester City. The defender is said to be getting frustrated by the lack of progress that Arsenal are making on both the domestic and European fronts.

The wealth of Manchester City is now public knowledge so if the player does want to move then it may just be a case of how much and when. The worry for Arsenal fans is that the exit of one of their best players could see the departure of others, most notably Cesc Fabregas, who has been heavily linked with a move to Spain.

Arsenal value the player at roughly £15 million, which City would have no problems in matching. If the move happens then Toure could join the relatively new signings of Gareth Barry, Wayne Bridge and possibly Glen Johnson in forming one of the best defensive systems outside of the top six teams in England.

Toure broke into the Arsenal side when the team were reaching the end of the golden era that saw them go an entire league season without losing a single game. It was this sort of era that he probably thought he was joining up with but now that Arsenal have been blatantly shown to be no where near as good as other sides he may seek to move on.

For Manchester City it would be a terrific signing. Mark Hughes has said he is looking to improve his side all the time and will not go for world-class players until the side have created some success and stability. By buying up the fringe players floating around the Premier League, City could effectively do what Everton have done in recent seasons and push the big clubs very close.

This would raise their reputation and calibre and would make the side a much more interesting proposition for bigger stars around Europe. They will have a job hanging onto Robinho this summer who reportedly wants to go to Barcelona but if they do then there is no limit to what the side could push on and achieve.

Toure will also want to maintain his international chances and he cannot do this unless he is a first team regular in a top class Premier League side. Arsenal have only warranted this description on a few occasions this season and a move could revitalise the international career of Toure who clearly has some big ambitions despite his relatively old age in football of 28.

Arsenal should have seen all of the signs coming when Toure handed in a transfer request last January. Although he later withdrew it the point is that once a player states that he has little intention to play for a side it is very difficult to keep him. Toure will love Arsenal forever and the fans will always have a place in his heart but it may just have become a case of it being the right time for him to move on to a new challenge.