Kyle Walker expected to end six-year stay at Manchester City with transfer this summer

Manchester City are expected to part ways with Kyle Walker this summer after six years at the club, new reports have indicated.

The latest development concerning the England international follows a flurry of information first emerging from Germany, indicating that Walker had been identified by the recently crowned Bundesliga champions as a target for this summer.

Walker becomes the latest City star to be linked with an exit this summer after Pep Guardiola’s squad completed a historic campaign in style, securing their first ever Champions League title to add to triumphs in the Premier League and FA Cup.

While City continue to hold dialogue with Bayern Munich over the future of Joao Cancelo – who spent the second-half of the last season on-loan in Germany – it now looks as though those two clubs could move towards completing talks over Kyle Walker.

That is according to the information of The Athletic’s Sam Lee, who reports on Friday evening that Kyle Walker is currently in talks to leave Manchester City for Bayern Munich this summer.

While the deal is not yet complete and there remains work to be done, according to the report, the expectation is that the 33-year-old will leave the Etihad Stadium following a historic final season with the club.

The Athletic clarify that a transfer fee for the veteran defender is yet to be agreed between Manchester City and Bayern Munich, although it is a matter that is not expected to be an issue in finalising a deal.

Manchester City are understood to be in the market for a replacement for Walker this summer, but given the options across Europe being at a premium this window, Pep Guardiola and his staff may opt to adapt and convert existing options into right-backs.

During the second-half of the season, Manuel Akanji, Rico Lewis, and John Stones have all operated in the position, albeit in varying ways with the latter pair acting as inverted full-backs when in possession and sitting alongside Rodri in defensive midfield.

Josko Gvardiol is a player of interest this summer, and Manchester City may look to have the Croatian as an option for left-back, thus allowing for other names to become more available on the other side of a back-four.

For now, talks will remain concerning the future of Kyle Walker, but the prospect of allowing the Englishman to leave the club is now very real following a hugely successful stay at the club that has seen the defender win a staggering 14 honours.