As per Sam Lee of The Athletic, Kyle Walker is now set to stay on at Manchester City next season.
Despite having previously reached a verbal agreement to join Bayern Munich, the England international has now taken a ‘U-turn’ and opted to remain in Manchester next season- after personal talks with Pep Guardiola were said to have been a key factor in changing his mind.
The right-back is believed to be considering accepting City’s new and improved contract offer this summer, and he is now expected to stay and sign onto this deal, which is reportedly worth more than Bayern’s.
Since moving to The Etihad for €50m from Tottenham Hotspur in July 2017, the 33-year-old has been a pivotal figure in several history-making teams under the Spanish manager, winning five Premier League trophies, four EFL Cups, two FA Cups, and most recently a Champions League.
Due to his importance in the squad, the Citizens have been keen to renew Walker’s current contract, which is set to expire in June 2024, all summer, and they now look set to have achieve this goal. This is also the case with Bernardo Silva, who remains in contract talks with the club having been subject of interest from Saudi Arabian sides, Barcelona and Paris-Saint-Germain
City are keen on not losing the Portuguese international in the coming weeks- with several players already having departed or being set to depart. Riyad Mahrez has joined Al-Ahli for €35m, İlkay Gündoğan has signed for Barcelona on a free transfers, whilst defenders João Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte are set to be moved on.
As for Incomings, Croatian pair Mateo Kovačić and Joško Gvardiol have both arrived from Chelsea and RB Leipzig respectively. The former joined from Chelsea for €30m, whilst the latter signed for €90m from RB Leipzig- making the 21-year-old the most expensive defender in world football.
The treble winners will begin their season Friday August 11, when they visit their former captain Vincent Kompany and his Burnley side at Turf Moor, as they head into the campaign looking to retain their Premier League title for a record fourth time in a row.
Travis Levison | Get Football
