Manchester City to Begin Talks with Tottenham Over £40 Million Move for Kyle Walker
With Pablo Zabaleta joining West Ham United, and Bacary Sagna, Gaël Clichy and makeshift wing-back Jesús Navas set to leave as well, Manchester City will have to revamp their defensive lineup this summer.
City's defense was actually pretty bad last season, so it's about time they make changes to boost their chances of winning the Premier League title next season. The players who are leaving also happen to be holdovers from the previous regimes. With them gone, Pep Guardiola can finally reshape the squad's flawed defense.
Well, it looks like Guardiola's not wasting any time in his search for a player who can help anchor the defense. According to Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports, City are getting ready to begin formal negotiations with Tottenham regarding the transfer of right-back Kyle Walker.
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"Sky sources claim Walker is relaxed about his future, and is not agitating for a move away from a club at which he has spent the past eight years and harbours a deep affection for," Thomas wrote in his report.
"But he is understood to have been unhappy at not being selected for particular games toward the end of the season, as manager Mauricio Pochettino rotated him with Kieran Trippier," he continued. "City are therefore hoping to tempt Walker to the Etihad by offering to make him their primary right-back," he added.
Thomas said City may make their approach as early as this week after England's international friendly match against France on Tuesday. That game is already done, so talks may begin soon.
Apparently, Guardiola is confident that a £40 million bid is enough to convince Tottenham to let go of Walker, but the Spurs reportedly value the defender closer to £50 million. That asking price shouldn't stop a club like City from getting their man.
However, it should be noted that Walker signed an extension to stay with Tottenham last year, so they don't really have to sell him this offseason.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see if City can pressure the Spurs to part ways with Walker this summer.
