Micah Richards believes that Manchester City would be making a huge mistake if they allow Yaya Toure to leave the club this summer.

Toure has performed well below his usual standards this season and his sub-par form has mirrored City's trophy-less campaign.

With City set to undergo a major revamp this summer, it is widely believed that powerful Ivorian Toure will be among the number of big names departing the Etihad Stadium.

However, the majority of City fans want to keep hold of Toure and departing defender Richards has echoed this sentiment by stating that the Citizens would be making a huge mistake if they allow the 32-year old to exit.

"It's not time for Yaya Toure to move on," Richards said on talkSPORT.

"A lot of people say he should move but if you look at his stats he's still involved in a lot of City's good play.

"Sometimes he's not the best at tracking back and every player goes through a little period where you're not having a good time but, with his qualities, he's going to be hard to replace. For me, he's still one of the top midfielders in the world and would be very difficult to replace."