Fenerbahce plot improved offer for out-of-favour Manchester City defender | OneFootball

Fenerbahce are set to offer improved terms to Kyle Walker in a bid to tempt the Manchester City and England full-back to join the Turkish side, as per a new report.

Walker, 35, fell out of favour with Pep Guardiola after a horrid spell of form in the closing months of 2024 that saw the right-back lose his place in Manchester City’s starting XI and receive widespread criticism for his performances from the fanbase.

The Sheffield-born star, who was appointed club captain in 2023 when Ilkay Gundogan joined Barcelona, has been one of Guardiola’s most successful signings and has played a pivotal role in Manchester City’s success under the Catalan since his arrival from Tottenham in 2017.

However, Walker – who spent the second half of the recent campaign on loan at AC Milan – is well past his prime and has been told to find a new club by the Manchester City board as enters the final year of his current deal at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola has appointed Bernardo Silva as club captain and admitted to have made a decision on the armband himself for the first time over the course of his managerial career – as the Manchester City boss appeared to make a subtle dig at how Walker has handled his fall at the Etihad Stadium.

The former Tottenham man was a key frailty in defence for Manchester City last season, costing his side with a series of concentration lapses that proved detrimental for the Blues, who saw the Englishman seek exile in Italy as he dropped further down the pecking order under Guardiola.

Despite a promising start to life in the Serie A, Walker hasn’t done enough in the end for AC Milan to sign him on a permanent deal, which sees the defender return to Manchester City, who will break away for four weeks as the first-team squad goes away on holiday before reporting back for pre-season at the end of the month.

Walker – like Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips – has no future at the Etihad Stadium and is expected to finalise a permanent move away from Manchester City, who are looking to offload their former captain before the start of the new season to avoid the risk of losing him on a free transfer when his contract runs out next summer.

Turkish Football are reporting that Fenerbahce are weighing up a second and improved offer to the English full-back in a bid to secure Walker’s arrival as they look to shore up their backline to challenge for the Super Lig next term.

Walker is unlikely to draw a shortage of suitors owing to his wealth of experience and rich CV of silverware at Manchester City, who would be willing to accept a cut-price fee for the out-of-favour defender to trim their wage bill and get Walker off their books.

A loan move away from City has been mooted for Walker but a permanent deal is believed to be more likely and the best solution for all parties as Manchester City plan for like beyond the likes of Walker and Kevin De Bruyne, who has joined Napoli on a two-year deal after coming to the end of his final deal at the Etihad Stadium.

A decision is understood to be resting in the hands of Walker, who will be assessing offers and weighing up his options to plan the next chapter of his life as he enters the twilight of his playing career after a rich career in England.