Kyle Walker reveals ‘uncomfortable’ exit talks with Pep Guardiola after joining AC Milan
Kyle Walker reveals ‘uncomfortable’ exit talks with Pep Guardiola after joining AC Milan
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The 34-year-old Manchester City and England defender has joined Milan on loan until the end of the season with an option to stay permanently in the summer. Kyle Walker endured an uncomfortable conversation with Pep Guardiola when the defender told the Manchester City manager he wanted to leave the club.
![[Kyle Walker in conversation with AC Milan's senior advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/28/10/26/Serie-A-AC-Milan-v-Parma-9ybiw8mm.jpeg)
Walker has joined AC Milan on loan for the rest of the season in a deal that includes an option to stay at the San Siro permanently in the summer. The 34-year-old has been a staple for both City and England over the past seven years, winning 17 trophies at the Etihad after moving from Tottenham for £45m in 2017. But he found himself on the periphery at times this season and requested to leave in order to play more minutes.
At his unveiling in Milan, Walker said: When I spoke with Pep, it wasn’t a very comfortable conversation – mainly because of the respect we have for each other. “What he’s won at Manchester City, I’ve won it, too. I like to think he knows what I bring to a dressing room, the atmosphere I create. City was my family – from the cooks to the cleaners, the kit men and physios. I like to think I was liked and helped everyone blend in. But things weren’t going well there and I wasn’t playing enough football. Hopefully I can play a bit more here.”.
Had Guardiola turned down his request to leave in January, Walker – who has not started a Premier League game since the derby defeat by Manchester United in December – says he would have stayed to fight for his place, usurped in recent weeks by his young England teammate Rico Lewis and even the Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes.
