Manchester City are prepared to make Kyle Walker the most expensive defender in world football, after agreeing to pay a potential £53million for his signature.
The England international has been on Pep Guardiola’s wanted list for some time, and City have had a bid worth £53million accepted by Tottenham Hotspur for the right fullback. Walker is now set to travel to Manchester to undergo a medical on Friday, when the transfer could be completed.
This would make the 27-year-old the most expensive defender in world football, and the costliest English player of all time. His arrival would partly make up for missing out on Dani Alves, who has joined Paris Saint Germain, although Guardiola had wanted to sign both players this summer.
Walker has been at White Hart Lane since joining from Sheffield United in 2009, but hasn’t always had it easy at the capital club. His first two years were spent on loan elsewhere, firstly at his former club then Queens Park Rangers and, for the second part of the 2010-11 season, at Aston Villa.
He has since become a key player in Spurs’ recent rise in the Premier League, playing 66 times in the division over the past two seasons in which his side have finished third and second. He lost his place towards the end of last term to Kieran Trippier, who will now eye his number 2 jersey.
Once City have completed the formalities to add Walker to their squad, they will turn their attention to Benjamin Mendy. The left fullback has been left out of Monaco’s pre-season tour of Switzerland, seemingly to finalise a protracted £40million switch to the Etihad Stadium.
