Man City stalwart has ‘intense interest’ from Saudi Arabia with Guardiola ‘open’ to January sale
Three Saudi Arabian clubs are interested in signing Manchester City captain Kyle Walker in the January transfer window, according to reports.
Walker has been at Man City since July 2017 and has made 318 appearances for the club.
He has been widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world during his time at the Etihad but his form in 2024 was bitterly disappointing.
The 93-cap England defender had a difficult European Championship in the summer and has frequently been exposed at club level, particularly this season with Pep Guardiola’s side struggling for form. They are currently sixth in the Premier League!
There has been some off-field drama in Walker’s life that is hardly helping his performances as well.
Despite his poor form in 2024, the 34-year-old has been a fantastic servant to the Cityzens and is currently club captain.
Signing a long-term replacement for Walker could be a top priority for Guardiola, though he does have Rico Lewis in his squad.
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A natural right-back, Lewis has been mainly utilised as a holding midfielder but can also play left-back.
It is unclear if Guardiola will delve into the transfer market this month but he might be forced to if Walker leaves.
According to CaughtOffside, there is ‘intense interest’ in Walker coming from Saudi Arabia, with Al Nassr, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad all said to be keen on making an offer in the winter window.
Although finding a replacement could be a pain in the backside, City ‘would be open to letting Walker go’ in January as ‘big opportunities’ to move to the Middle East are expected.
It is unclear how much the Premier League champions would be willing to sell the 34-year-old for but it says any incoming bids are expected to be in the region of €12-15million (£9.9-12.4million).
Walker could be the third City player to leave for the Saudi riches in recent seasons after Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez moved there in the 2023 summer transfer window.
The England right-back could be tempted by a big pay day but a move to Saudi Arabia will likely spell the end of his international career.
Thomas Tuchel has officially taken over as Three Lions head coach now we are in 2025 and reportedly tried to bring Walker to Bayern Munich in 18 months ago, so he must be a big fan of the player.
Walker is a different player to the one he was going into the 2023/24 season, though, and a transfer to the Saudi Pro League could be the perfect excuse for Tuchel to politely phase him out.
The only notable England player to move to Saudi Arabia in recent seasons is Jordan Henderson, who caused controversy when he left Liverpool for Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq in July 2023.
The former Reds captain lasted six months in the Middle East and reportedly didn’t earn a penny from the big-money transfer.
Saudi clubs might be reluctant to pursue England international players after the Henderson debacle, so it will be interesting to see what happens with Walker this month.
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