AC Milan are "confident" of landing Kyle Walker after the England defender told Manchester City he wants a move.
- Walker was dropped for FA Cup fixture
- Guardiola revealed defender has asked to leave
- Milan are preparing a bid for the right-back
WHAT HAPPENED?
Walker, who still has 18 months remaining on his City contract, was notably absent from the squad that faced Salford on Saturday. And following their emphatic 8-0 FA Cup victory, manager Pep Guardiola disclosed that Walker had approached the club’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, requesting a move to a foreign outfit.
WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID
“It’s not easy for me to say because I should tell him but he’s not here so two days ago Kyle asked to explore the options to play abroad at the end of his career,” Guardiola said.
“He’s been our right-back, giving us something we didn’t have, but now in his mind he would like to explore to go to another country to play his last years for many reasons. For that reason, I prefer to play other players whose mind is here. He went to Txiki. He asked to explore, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen because you never know the situation.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
According to The Telegraph, Milan have emerged as the leading contender to secure Walker’s services. The Italian giants are reportedly confident of finalizing a deal that would bring the seasoned defender to San Siro. While City have yet to receive a formal bid, Milan’s pursuit of Walker aligns with their ambition to bolster their defensive options in the January transfer window.
DID YOU KNOW?
City appears to be preparing for a future without Walker. The club recently agreed on a £33.6 million ($41m) deal with Lens for Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov, signalling their intent to refresh their defensive lineup. Additionally, City are also in discussions for Brazilian centre-back Vitor Reis.
Rico Lewis has already stepped up as a viable right-back option for Guardiola, having been selected ahead of Walker on several occasions this season. Walker’s exit, however, would leave City with limited depth in the position, potentially prompting further activity in the transfer market.
WHAT NEXT FOR WALKER?
In addition to Milan, Walker has attracted interest from other clubs, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. Reports suggest that a move to Al-Nassr could see Walker earning a lucrative £400,000 weekly salary. However, previous Saudi interest had failed to materialize and Milan’s urgency to secure Walker could accelerate negotiations with City.
MAYA JAMA channelled her inner Pamela Anderson as she made a mad dash to the latest round of Baller League.The competition is back and headed up by president KSI, who recently sold out Wembley in the Sidemen Charity Match.Maya Jama channeled her inner Pammie as she made a mad dash to the Baller LeagueJama resembled Pamela Anderson's CJ Parker character from BaywatchAnd Jama, 30, is among the celeb...
Ange Postecoglou insisted his controversial cupped ear celebration to Tottenham fans in a 1-0 loss at Chelsea had been misinterpreted on another bad night for the Australian.Spurs slipped to a 16th defeat in the Premier League this season thanks to a 50th-minute header by Enzo Fernandez, but it only told half the story of a typically frenzied London derby.VAR was required to rule out a fine strike...
Chelsea climbed back into the Premier League’s top four as Enzo Fernandez’s header early in the second half earned a 1-0 derby win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.Enzo Maresca’s side were under pressure after limping into the international break playing football that had ceased to excite home fans, but they largely had the better of a disappointing Spurs team that failed to tak...
David Moyes believes James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid a red card for his reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister as Everton were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal, which Moyes claimed should have been ruled out for offside, gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were...
Jack Grealish dedicated his goal to his late brother after scoring in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester on Wednesday.The England international hit his first Premier League goal for 16 months, on his first start in the competition since last December, as City moved back into fourth with a comfortable success at the Etihad Stadium.It came on the 25th anniversary of...
David Moyes bemoaned an “offside” goal that gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Everton – but admitted James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid an early red card on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were left unhappy with decisions from referee Sam Barr...
Eddie Howe hailed Sandro Tonali’s shooting power after seeing him cap a fine display with a stunning winner to edge Newcastle into the race for Champions League qualification.The 24-year-old Italy international brought an incident-packed encounter to a fitting conclusion with a 74th-minute piledriver which beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken from an improbable angle to hand the Magpies a precious 2...
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes Marcus Rashford is “progressively getting better” in all aspects of his game following his first Premier League goal for the club.The on-loan Manchester United forward set Villa on course for a comprehensive 3-0 win over fellow European hopefuls Brighton with a 51st-minute finish at the Amex Stadium.Rashford’s milestone strike came three days ...
Southampton boss Ivan Juric vowed to keep fighting as relegation moved sharply into focus after Crystal Palace denied them only a third Premier League win of the season.Substitute Matheus Franca’s stoppage-time header, to secure a 1-1 draw for the Eagles, means Saints will be down at the weekend if they lose at Tottenham and Wolves beat Ipswich.If relegation is confirmed on Sunday, Southampt...
Derby boss John Eustace insists his side are reaping the rewards for the hard work they have put in since he was appointed as manager after the Rams earned a 2-0 win over Preston to climb out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.Derby came out firing after a lacklustre opening period and Craig Forsyth coolly slotted the hosts in front with his fourth goal of the season.The Rams doubled thei...
- 1 Hot WAG flaunts 'astonishing' washboard abs in bikini
- 2 Danny Rohl hails Sheffield Wednesday resilience in draw at Cardiff
- 3 Alfie May double sends Birmingham step closer to Championship
- 4 Marcus Rashford scores first Premier League goal for Villa in win at Brighton
- 5 Ryan Lowe and Conor Hourihane felt team deserved more as Wigan and Barnsley draw
- 6 Mat Sadler hails Taylor Allen set-piece skills after Walsall snatch draw
- 7 Chris Davies says Alfie May’s goal drought never concerned him
- 8 Football fan 'eats' raw pig's head in ultimate insult
- 9 Marcus Rashford still looking to improve after firing Villa into FA Cup semis
- 10 Chelsea prepare €70m for Barcelona defender