Pep Guardiola drops Kyle Walker transfer bombshell after leaving Man City star out of FA Cup squad as he declares 'I prefer to play other players whose minds are here'

The manager made the shock revelation after leaving Walker out of the squad for City's 8-0 thrashing of Salford City in the FA Cup. Walker has been one of City's worst performers this season but still has a contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2026.

"Well it's not easy for me to say it because he should say it but he's not here so two days ago Kyle asked to explore the options to play abroad at the end his career," Guardiola told a press conference. "He asked two years ago after the Treble, Bayern Munich wanted him but the offer was not good enough and the club asked how important he was. We cannot understand the success we have had these years without Kyle, it's impossible. He gave us something we didn't have he has been amazing but now in his mind he would like to explore going to another country to play the last few years for many reasons. For that reason I prefer to play other players whose minds are here."

Walker looked to be on the verge of leaving City two years ago when he was left out of the team for several matches and Guardiola questioned his ability to fit into his new vision for the team's defence. He staged a stunning comeback, playing a crucial role as City won the treble including shutting down Vinicius Jr. in a rampant 4-0 win in the Champions League semi-final second leg. He was strongly linked with a move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023 but instead signed a new City contract after holding showdown talks with Guardiola in a Japanese restaurant in Manchester. Walker was named captain at the start of last season and was a regular as City won a record fourth consecutive Premier League title but his form has fallen off a cliff this campaign and he has been the main culprit for Guardiola's side's miserable title defence. He has lacked the physical sharpness which made him so hard to beat and has displayed numerous lapses of concentration. And in the background there have been countless stories about his chaotic private life.

Walker did not directly consult Guardiola about leaving City but the manager respected his decision to look for a move, while also explaining it would not be right to play him while his mind is elsewhere. The coach said: "He went to the club, he went to Txiki [Begiristain, sporting director], he didn't speak with me. I'm pretty convinced that there is not one person who can perform exactly as they want if they don't want to be where they are. I respect [him] a lot because I'm more than grateful for what he has done in these many years with us, we started to win win win, he has been important with the national team, important with our team but he said he wants to explore his mind, his heart, be at another [club] and explore it but I don't know what's going to happen."

Walker joined City back in 2017 from Tottenham for an initial £45 million ($54m) and has won six Premier League titles with the club as well as four League Cups, two FA Cups and the Champions League. His most likely destination is believed to be Saudi Arabia, where his City team-mates Riyah Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte went in 2023. Three clubs including Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr are reported to have shown an interest in signing the 34-year-old.