Kyle Walker admits he almost left Manchester City for Bayern Munich this summer, but reveals he will now sign a new contract at the Etihad Stadium.
Kyle Walker was wanted by the Bundesliga champions but opted to stay at City after they returned with a new contract offer.
The 33-year-old is now set to sign a contract that will keep him at the club until 2026.
Speaking after Saturday’s 5-1 win over Fulham, Walker was asked how close he was to joining Bayern.
“It was close,” the England international was quoted as saying by ESPN.
“It almost happened, but in football, anything can happen. Decisions can be made. Things can change. It shouldn’t have happened. Am I going to enjoy this experience? Of course I will. But this club is a great club and you can’t underestimate what this club has done in the last six or seven years.”
After helping City win the treble last season, Walker enters the final year of his current contract in the summer and the defender says a decision on his future is based on which club offers him the longest contract and he is most likely to play regularly.
“In my mind I always wanted to play for Man City, but I had to do what was right for me and my future and whichever club gave me the most time,” said Walker.
“Why should I leave if I want to get enough game time and it’s right for me?
“That’s all I want. I want to play football. I love the game and want to play, whether here, Germany, Italy, Spain or in the Championship.”
“I want to play soccer so if I don’t feel like I’m getting good enough game time at X amount of pounds or no pounds, I just want to play soccer.
“Money, I don’t care. You might say it’s a cliche, but I don’t care. I only worry about my happiness and playing football.”
Kyle Walker will follow in Bernardo Silva’s footsteps in signing a new contract at City and if he stays for three years, he will spend a decade at the club he has represented since his move from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017.
“The extension is coming,” he said. “I love this place. I’ve experienced things I only dreamed of here, especially last season, so why would you want to leave a club like this?
“It’s about who gave me the most playing time. It’s not that I’m going to a worse club because Bayern Munich is a big club. It’s not a setback, it’s just what gave me the years on my contract.” to play football at the highest level.
“[Pep Guardiola] has made it clear to a lot of players that if you have the desire to do something else or experience something else, he is not going to stop you. He has shown that with the players he lets it go since I’ve been here.”
