Kyle Walker: Manchester City defender wants to 'explore' options aboard, says Pep Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has stated that he will not stand in the way if England defender Kyle Walker decides to leave the club during this month's transfer window. Despite having only two recognized full-backs in his starting lineup, Walker was left out of the squad for their 8-0 FA Cup third-round victory over League Two side Salford.

The 34-year-old England international has 18 months remaining on his contract. However, Guardiola revealed that Walker met with director of football Txiki Begiristain on Thursday to express his desire to explore a move away. "Two days ago, Kyle asked to explore the possibility to play abroad," Guardiola said. "Without Kyle, we cannot understand what the club has achieved in these years. It’s impossible. He has been our right-back and brought us something we didn’t have before. But now, for many reasons, he wants to explore if it is possible to go to another country to play the last few years of his career."

When asked if he would grant Walker's wish if he indicated a desire to leave, Guardiola replied: "Of course. But it doesn’t mean it is going to happen because you never know the specific situation. But I am quite sure that in our job, nobody wants to be here who doesn’t want to be here and be able to perform at the level they want."

Guardiola added that Walker initially requested to leave Manchester City after the team's historic treble win in 2023. Guardiola stated that German giants Bayern Munich had informed Walker they wanted to sign him, but failed to meet Manchester City's asking price. A similar issue is unlikely this time, as Guardiola is already committed to refreshing a squad that has underperformed in the first half of the season.

Manchester City have already agreed a £33.6 million deal with French club Lens for Uzbekistan international defender Abdukodir Khusanov. They are also in negotiations with Brazilian side Palmeiras for young defender Vito Reis and have an interest in Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush.