Kolo Toure will join Liverpool FC on a free transfer from Manchester City after agreeing a two-year deal.

The 32-year-old defender finalised personal terms and passed his medical at Liverpool's Spire Hospital with club doctor Zaf Iqbal to become the Reds' first signing of the summer.

Toure's contract at Eastlands expires at the end of June so he will officially become a Liverpool player on July 1.

Boss Brendan Rodgers has made no secret of his desire to add more experience to his ranks during the transfer window and firmly believes the Ivory Coast international centre-back fits the bill.

Toure has graced the Premier League for more than a decade and has won the title with both Arsenal and Man City.

He is viewed as a valuable squad player rather than as a direct replacement for retired vice-captain Jamie Carragher.

Rodgers' No 1 defensive target this summer remains Schalke's talented centre-back Kyriakos Papadopoulos with the Reds determined to secure the services of the £12million-rated 21-year-old Greek international.

Liverpool are also keen to sign Sporting Lisbon's young defender Tiago Ilori.

Toure arrived in England back in 2002 when he signed for Arsenal from ASEC Mimosas in his homeland for a fee of £150,000.

He started out for the Gunners as a midfielder and then played at right-back before Arsene Wenger moved him to centre-back.

In 2003-04 he established a successful partnership with Sol Campbell as they clinched the Premier League title and went through the entire campaign unbeaten. He also won the FA Cup twice during his seven-year stay in North London.

Toure was instrumental in their run to the 2006 Champions League final against Barcelona and a year later he skippered them in the League Cup final defeat to Chelsea.

After 326 appearances for Arsenal, he departed in July 2009 when Manchester City agreed a fee of £16million and he was appointed club captain by Mark Hughes.

He remained a first team regular under Roberto Mancini but in March 2011 he was hit with a six-month ban after failing a drugs test.

Toure tested positive for a doping offence after taking his wife's diet pills in an effort to lose weight.

He could have faced a two-year suspension but an FA commission decided that he hadn't intended to enhance sporting performance or mask the use of a performance enhancing substance.

Having missed City's FA Cup final triumph, he returned from his ban to make 14 league appearances as Mancini's side won the title in 2012.

Last term he played in 18 games in all competitions - to take his tally for City to 102 appearances - before embarking on their end-of-season tour of America.

After returning to the UK, he headed to Merseyside for talks and has accepted Rodgers' offer to join the Reds on a two-year contract.

Toure also boasts a wealth of experience at international level having picked up 105 caps for Ivory Coast and played in the past two World Cups.

Source: Liverpool Echo