Manchester City captain Kyle Walker was linked with a move to Bayern Munich over the weekend, with the German giants seemingly keen to try and sign the defender again.
City fans will remember last summer when Bayern came calling for Walker, and it looked at one point as though a move would happen.
A late intervention from Pep Guardiola stopped the move in its tracks though. Walker was then named the new captain after a vote by the players, and he also signed a contract extension.
Walker has enjoyed a decent season since staying last summer, and has again been a very important player for Pep. So far, he has made 42 appearances, for a total of 3655 minutes. Only Phil Foden and Rodri have higher totals than that.
Walker, 33, was the subject of some speculation at the weekend – and Manchester City News caught up with HITC journalist and transfer expert Graeme Bailey to get some information…
Kyle Walker unlikely to leave Manchester City this summer, despite links to Bayern Munich
It was claimed at the weekend that Walker had emerged as a target once again for Bayern, who have just lost out on the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen.
There are likely to be some big changes at the Allianz Arena this summer after failing to win the title.
They have been the dominant force in Germany for so many years, and they are going to do their utmost to get back on top as quickly as possible. And seemingly, they still see Walker as someone who could help them improve.
Manchester City News asked transfer expert Graeme Bailey for his thoughts on Walker and the latest speculation about Bayern. In his eyes, the player is not likely to be heading out the door this summer.
He told us: “I think with his new contract and the faith City showed in him previously, I don’t see it personally. He’s got England to be thinking about, I don’t think he’ll really be thinking about that.
“I don’t think there’s a massive rush for him to leave at this moment now. I think he got the deal he wanted previously. City broke ranks by re-signing Silva and him as well. I don’t particularly see that, because remember there’s a new head coach going in there (at Bayern) and a new management team.
“It’s not to say, if Walker wanted out would they be interested? I suppose they would. But I don’t see Walker pushing for that move, no. I haven’t heard anything from Bayern’s end and nothing from City to suggest that they’re looking to move on from him.”
Walker still showing a good level for Man City
It doesn’t sound as though Walker isn’t particularly likely to be leaving City in the summer, at this stage.
And it would be good for the club to keep hold of him because this term, he has still shown relatively high performance levels. He maybe hasn’t quite been as good as he was in the Treble-winning 2022/23 campaign, but Walker has still had some great outings this term.
Ultimately, there are very few right-backs in the game that can hold a candle to him, and the £175,000-a-week ace is certainly very unique with that incredible recovery pace. Rico Lewis said recently that Walker was still the best player in his position in the world, and Arsenal legend Lee Dixon described Walker as ‘pivotal’ earlier this season.
With Walker having been made City captain, there is extra responsibility there for him now, and it may well be that he stays until the end of his contract in the summer of 2026.