EPL: Pep Guardiola Hopes Kyle Walker Remains At City Next Season

The manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has insisted that he and the club would try as much as possible to stop the club’s wingback, Kyle Walker from joining Bayern Munich this summer.

Kyle Walker did not enjoy regular game time at Manchester City last season and the England international is reportedly interested in exploring other major leagues after a very successful spell in the Premier League.

Bayern Munich have already made a move for the defender and reports claimed that both parties have agreed on personal terms but Manchester City have been delaying the process.

Towards the end of the 2022-2023 season, coach Pep Guardiola left the defender out of his starting eleven with the excuse that the player was nursing an undisclosed injury.

Recall that Walker joined City in July 2017 for £45 million, plus an extra £5 million in potential add-ons, from Premier League rivals Tottenham.

The England international has five Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, two FA Cups, and the Champions League at City. He has played 254 games in all competitions for the club.

The 33-year-old right-back came on as a substitute in the Champions League quarter-finals between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan last season. He might also start from the bench or in the first eleven when Manchester City come against Bayern in a pre-season friendly at Tokyo’s Japan National Stadium on Wednesday.

Ahead of the A-list friendly game, coach Pep Guardiola told reporters that Kyle Walker will play for Manchester City in the game despite Bayern’s interest in him and the club would fight to keep him beyond this summer.

We will fight for him like I’m pretty sure Bayern [will],” said Guardiola.

“I don’t know how it is going to finish.”

Pep Guardiola added, “He is an incredibly important player for us. He has very specific qualities that are so difficult to find worldwide.

“His specific qualities are irreplaceable. We want him here but in the end, I don’t know what is going to happen.

“We need our best players out there against Bayern and we hope he is going to stay with us next season, so why should he not play?”