Chelsea and Bayern Munich have joined Manchester City in the race to sign Spurs right-back Kyle Walker in the summer.
According to Mike McGrath of The Sun, Manchester City will now receive stiff competition to sign Spurs’ English full-back Kyle Walker as they have been joined by Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the race to secure the player’s services.
City boss Pep Guardiola inherited an ageing squad at the start of the season, and despite having four full-backs past their prime, he opted against buying any younger alternatives, and decided to invest in other areas of the pitch.
However, the likes of Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy have not performed up to their expectations while Aleksandar Kolarov was often used as a centre-back. Even veteran Pablo Zabaleta played a diminishing role, and has confirmed that he will be leaving the club.
The Argentine wasn’t a first-choice option for Guardiola anyway, as he opted to field Jesus Navas and Fernandinho in his stead. While they were only makeshift options, the former Barcelona boss was looking to rope in specialists come the end of the season.
It seemed that he was closing in on a £50 million signing for Kyle Walker, but will be disappointed to hear that Chelsea and Bayern Munich have joined his side in the race to sign the England international.
Walker is reportedly set to leave White Hart Lane after a fall out between the player and Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine has opted to leave out the 26-year-old on many occasions this past season, despite him being completely fit to compete.
One such instance was in the huge North London derby game against Arsenal, where Kieran Trippier started ahead of Walker – playing as a right wing back. Due to this, the Englishman believes his future lies elsewhere, and now has a plethora of teams to choose from.
While he would be happy to move to the Etihad Stadium, the possibility of joining Chelsea could be more promising for Walker. Antonio Conte could use Walker to fullest of his capabilities by playing him as a wing-back due to his penchant of marauding forward.
He would be an upgrade on Victor Moses, and even if Conte prefers the Nigerian over him, Walker is likely to play in a number of matches as Chelsea return to the Champions League, and will be looking to add to the depth in their ranks.
In case, Walker is comfortable with moving away from England, the Allianz Arena could be a probable destination. With Philipp Lahm calling it a day from football, the Bavarians would need a quality right-back, and the Englishman may very well fit the bill for them.
Thus, it remains to be seen which club comes with the right offer and convinces the Spurs board to let go of the 26-year-old.
