- 17 hours ago
Man City make MAJOR transfer U-turn – Romano
Kyle Walker could still sign a new contract with Manchester City, amid interest from Bayern Munich.
The lightning-quick England right-back, 33, is said to be a target for the Bundesliga giants – and, with his current deal expiring at the end of next season, this summer could be City’s last chance to cash in.
But it seems as though the Premier League champions would prefer to keep hold of Walker – who joined from Tottenham back in 2017 and has been a key member of all five of Pep Guardiola’s title-winning City sides.
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According to Fabrizio Romano, City are in talks with Walker with a view to extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium.
Romano adds that Bayern are still keen on Walker – who made 39 appearances in all competitions in 2022/23 as City became just the second English club to do the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
Only one City defender – Manuel Akanji – made more league starts than Walker during the campaign just gone, but Guardiola’s change of system to accommodate John Stones in midfield has altered the make-up of his defence, which has gone from a back three to a back four – and that’s been bad news for Walker.
Speaking about the situation back in April, Guardiola said: “He [Walker] cannot do it. He will always have pace: Kyle at 60 years old will be the fastest player in this room. To play inside, you have to have educated movements; he doesn’t have every one of the characteristics.”
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Too late for City?
Indeed, Walker started City’s Champions League final victory over Inter Milan earlier this month on the bench – which only served to intensify speculation surrounding his future.
Indeed, a report on Sunday from Sky Sport in Germany claims that Bayern are already in ‘advanced negotiations’ to sign the defender.