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City Xtra
·20 August 2024
Al-Hilal submit contract offer to 301-appearance Manchester City superstar
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Yahoo sportsCity Xtra
·20 August 2024
Manchester City and England international star Kyle Walker has received a formal contract offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, according to reports.
The veteran full-back has been linked with a number of moves away from Manchester City over the course of the last two summer transfer windows, having come the closest to a departure in 2023.
Bayern Munich pursued a deal for the England international with intensity, and having agreed terms with the player, it took a last minute u-turn of events to persuade Kyle Walker to remain at the Etihad Stadium via a personal conversation with manager Pep Guardiola.
Walker has since admitted that his desire to leave the English game was largely due to ongoing events in his personal life, and wanting to distance himself from the ferocity of the British media and the reporting on his home events.
But since then, Walker has remained focussed on events on the pitch, securing the captain’s armband on a permanent basis at Manchester City and leading the club to a Treble of trophies during the last campaign including a fourth Premier League title in a row.
However, according to the information of SportsZone, Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal have now sent a contract offer to Walker, with the 34-year-old ‘thinking hard’ and not having yet ruled out the idea of a Middle-East move.
From the side of Manchester City, the report claims that whilst the Premier League champions are ‘open to sale’ of their club captain, Etihad Stadium officials will only sanction an exit ‘at a high price’.
Given the approach taken by the Saudi Pro League towards Manchester City’s mainstay goalkeeper Ederson, and their hesitancy to meet the Premier League club’s £50 million release clause, it is highly unlikely that they would be able to appease over Walker.
Pep Guardiola and his coaching staff are continuing to plan for the rest of the ongoing competitive season with Walker in mind, but the Englishman will no doubt have stronger competition this time around following the further development of Rico Lewis.
The talented teenager but in a hugely impressive showing in Manchester City’s Premier League opener against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, operating in right-back but drifting into central defensive midfield alongside Mateo Kovacic.