Kyle Walker handed major transfer blow as Everton interest corrected | OneFootball

Manchester City’s hopes of a swift agreement over an exit for Kyle Walker this summer to Everton have been handed a blow, according to regional reports.

The England international continues to seek out fresh opportunities at the very top level of the sport ahead of the new campaign, having seen his hopes of retaining a place with AC Milan ended upon the conclusion of the last season.

Walker forced an exit from Manchester City midway through the last season having indicated a clear desire for a new challenge amid a difficult campaign for the club as a whole, ultimately settling upon the aforementioned Italian giants.

Penning a short-term loan deal with the Serie A club, those in Milan agreed to retain an option to buy the Manchester City defender on a permanent deal in the summer for a fee of around €5 million, according to various reports.

However, a string of difficult performances, concerns over the financial impact on the club for a player of his age, and an injury problem towards the end of the season led to Milan rejecting the chance to sign Walker permanently.

And having not travelled with the Manchester City squad to the United States for the FIFA Club World Cup, many have been left wondering what could come next for the veteran full-back, with Everton the latest side to be publicly linked with interest.

But according to the information of the Liverpool ECHO’s Joe Thomas, a move from the Toffees to sign Kyle Walker is not believed to be a priority at this stage of the summer for the Hill Dickinson Stadium side.

It is explained that any interest in the veteran England international is currently ‘tentative at best’, despite officials within the Merseyside club said to be aware that the signing of a new right-back is a necessity this summer

Manchester City are believed to be in the market to sign a new right-back this summer, with Newcastle United and England Under-21 international Tino Livramento their number one target for the remainder of the window.

Hugo Viana and co failed to secure themselves a deal for the versatile defender in time for the FIFA Club World Cup, although the understanding in various quarters is that there remains an interest in the player for the rest of the summer market.

For now, all parties will remain focussed on other priorities, with Manchester City competing in the United States and Livramento joining up with James McAtee and England’s Under-21s in Slovakia for the European Championships.