According to Manchester Evening News, England international right-back Kyle Walker is set to sign a new two-year contract extension at Man City, with reports claiming that the Citizens are keen to secure the 29-year-old’s long-term future at the Etihad.
Walker, who joined the reigning Premier League champions from Spurs back in 2017 for a staggering £50 million, is currently contracted to City until the summer of 2024 and the fresh deal will see him effectively commit his entire future to the club.
The right-back’s sudden dip in form saw him lose his place in the first-team to Brazilian Danilo, with City suffering a wobble over the Christmas period, but the 29-year-old was reinstated back in the side by Pep Guardiola since the turn of the year.
Walker made a total of 52 appearances for the Citizens in all competitions this past season and scored twice, as Guardiola’s side completed the domestic treble.
Manchester Evening News understands that City are likely to cash in on reserve right-back Danilo this summer, with Inter Milan interested in securing the services of the Brazilian.
The Citizens have also been linked with a move for Juventus’ Portuguese international right-back Joao Cancelo, but with Walker set for a new deal, it remains to be seen whether the reigning Premier League champions do go ahead with a big-money deal for the Serie A star. (h/t Manchester Evening News)
Walker, though, is not the only player set to agree on fresh terms with the champions, with London Evening Standard reporting that Oleksandr Zinchenko is closing in on a new deal as well.
Guardiola used the Ukrainian international to good effect on the left-hand side of the backline the last term in the absence of first-choice Benjamin Mendy and the manager wants the 22-year-old at the club as a part of his long-term plans moving forward.
Zinchenko’s contract at the Etihad is set to expire in twelve months’ time and the Citizens have already begun talks with the Ukrainian over a new deal.
The 22-year-old found himself on the periphery of the first-team at the start of the previous campaign but with City lacking quality cover at left-back following the long-term injury to Mendy, Guardiola was forced to experiment with the youngster in an unfamiliar role.
Guardiola remained patient with the Ukrainian, and after his initial struggles of playing in an unfamiliar role, Zinchenko gradually established himself as one of the key players in City’s first team. The 22-year-old finished the campaign strongly with 29 appearances in all competitions for City and he might as well be set for a more significant role next term.
To put things into perspective, it is not difficult to understand why Man City are trying to tie Zinchenko and Walker down to new deals. The Citizens have wasted no time in securing the long-term futures of several of their first-team stars, with the likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Aymeric Laporte and Ederson Moraes all having five years left to run on their present deals.
It is quite apparent that Guardiola sees both the players as a part of his long-term plans at the club. City’s unparalleled dominance in the Premier League has reigned supreme over the last few seasons but they have plenty of issues to sort out if they are really serious about continuing that kind of monopoly in English football.
The likes of Fernandinho and David Silva are 34 and 33 respectively, meaning that they are not likely to continue for much longer. Vincent Kompany has announced his departure from the club and City will need to groom another young and talented centre-back for a future first-team role.
Plus, Ilkay Gundogan has only a year remaining on his current contract and given that the German international has refused to put pen to paper on fresh terms, City might as well start looking at other options in the market.
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Taking these factors into account, it is absolutely vital for City to keep hold of their core of first-team stars and the likes of Walker and Zinchenko certainly fall within that bracket.
Hence, it should be a no-brainer for the Citizens to secure the long-term future of the full-back pairing at the earliest, as Guardiola plans to make it a hat-trick of Premier League triumphs next season.