England international right-back Kyle Walker wants to leave Manchester City, according to club’s manager, Pep Guardiola.
Walker, who serves as the club’s captain, was not included in City’s squad for FA Cup 8-0 win over lower-tier side Salford City and Guardiola used his post-game conference to address the player’s absence.
“It’s not easy for me to say because I should tell him but he’s not here so two days ago Kyle asked to explore the options to play abroad at the end of his career,” Guardiola told reporters.
According to Guardiola, the club will try to honor Walker’s request, but that doesn’t mean he’ll leave in January.
“He asked to explore, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen because you never know the situation,” the Spanish manager added.
Walker was on the verge of a transfer to Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023. However, City convinced him to stay with a new three-year contract, and he went on to help the club win another Premier League title in 2023-24.
This season, Walker’s playing time diminished, and he lost his place in the starting lineup. He made 15 Premier League appearances but started only nine times.
It is unclear where Walker could be playing next. He received interest from Saudi Arabia before the start of the season but that might not be an option anymore as most Saudi Pro League clubs have fulfilled their quota for foreign players.