Kyle Walker has opened up on the reason why he turned down a move to Bundesliga side, Bayern Munich, to remain with Pep Guardiola’s Man City.
Walker, 33, is set to sign a new three-year deal with the Premier League Champion but he revealed that he was very close to joining Bayern Munich in the summer.
Recall we reported that Bayern reached a personal terms agreement with Walker over a two-year deal, but after the dinner, he changed his mind and decided to stay back.
Speaking to times, Kyle Walker said: “I have a really good relationship with Pep and he was kind enough to invite me out for food.”
“He paid the bill, for once!”
“It was good to know his plans for the future and for this season and what he wants to do.”
“Being one of the senior members – and standing in the captaincy – it was important to get Pep’s views and put my view of what the lads feel for the season coming forward.”
“It was close but in football things can happen,” Kyle Walker stated.
“Decisions can be made. Things can turn. It wasn’t meant to be.”
“Would I have enjoyed the experience? Of course I would have done.”
The defender also stated that leaving City, where he spent about 6 years, would have been a difficult move for him.
“I love the place, I’ve experienced things I only dreamed of here – especially the last season – so why would you want to leave a club like this?,” Kyle Walker added.
“It was about who gave me the most years [on contract] […] It was just what gave me the years in my contract to play football at the highest level.”
Manchester City do not like giving old players long-term deals but for Kyle Walker, the treble winners made an exception.
The Englishman will be 36 by the time his contract expires in three years time at the Etihad Stadium.
Kyle Walker lost his starting spot last season and played only eight minutes in the Champions League final win against Inter Milan.
However, the player has featured in all City’s four Premier League games so far, as well as playing 120 minutes in both the Community Shield defeat against Arsenal and the UEFA Super Cup final win over Sevilla.
He has also been given the captain band on a temporal basis after the club skipper Kevin De Bruyne’s injury on the opening weekend of the season.
Kyle Walker
Kyle Andrew Walker, a right-back for Premier League team Manchester City and the England national team, was born on May 28, 1990, in England.
The English defender began his professional career at Sheffield United, the team he had played for since he was seven years old.
After a loan stint at Northampton Town, he was promoted to the first team, where he made his full Sheffield United debut at the age of 18 against Leyton Orient.
He made an impression while playing for the Blades and participated in their loss to Burnley in the 2009 Championship Play-Off Final.
From Sheffield United, Walker signed for Tottenham Hotspur, where he stayed until he moved to Manchester City in 2017.
Kyle Walker has played over 250 games for City, winning 12 trophies including five Premier League titles and the Champions League.
