Manchester City target to replace Kyle Walker available for €40-45M this summer | OneFootball

Wesley Franca has been put on the transfer market by Flamengo and will be available for €40-45 million in the summer amid interest from Manchester City, as per a new report.

Manchester City are expected to be busy in the summer transfer window and introduce four to five first-team signings to challenge on all fronts next season, having failed to challenge for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles this term.

Kyle Walker is certain to leave the 2023 treble winners when he returns from loan at AC Milan, which could see incoming sporting director Hugo Viana prioritise the acquisition of a natural right-back to bolster Pep Guardiola’s prospects in the position.

Matheus Nunes – who has been one of City’s best players in the second half of the season – Rico Lewis and Abdukodir Khusanov have collectively shouldered the workload at right-back since Walker’s January switch to the Serie A.

Manuel Akanji was fielded at right-back in Manchester City’s 1-0 FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace at Wembley last week, which is the latest reminder of how much Guardiola needs reinforcements at full-back ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

Lewis has struggled in spells this season and has drawn unfair criticism at various points during the campaign, whilst Nunes remains a popular pick at right-back having heard his manager admit that he prefers the former Wolves man in defence over Nunes’ natural midfield position.

Manchester City have identified Flamengo’s Wesley Franca as a potent addition to their backline this summer, which could see a host of high-profile departures from Guardiola’s current side that have failed to meet expectations this term.

As per a new report by O Globo, Flamengo are awaiting offers for the 21-year-old right back and are actively looking to cash in on the Brazilian for a fee in the region of €40-45 million in the summer.

Whilst there have been no formal offers yet, there remains interest amongst clubs in England and Spain, with Manchester City among those interested in adding Wesley to their ranks ahead of their Club World Cup campaign in the United States between June and July.

City have also identified Juventus’ Andrea Cambiaso as a target to strengthen their footing at right-back and Viana is believed to be conducting an audit of Guardiola’s squad as the season comes to a close before the club enter the transfer market.

After withdrawing their interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, Manchester City are making progress on a deal for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and have also stepped up their pursuit of AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.