January 30, (THEWILL)- Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has revealed he was on the verge of leaving the English Premier League champions to join Bayern Munich last summer, as he looked to escape intense media scrutiny over issues in his personal life.
The England international told The Sun he held promising talks with the German giants in July and they were confident he would make the move. This came after Walker had informed City he wanted to depart, having been left out of the starting XI for the 2023 Champions League final.
While City were always hopeful of keeping Walker and convincing him to sign a new long-term deal – which he did in August 2023 – there was more to it than just footballing motives. Earlier this month, it emerged Walker had fathered a second child with Lauryn Goodman, the same woman with whom he already shares a son born in 2020. This happened during a turbulent patch in his marriage to his wife Annie.
Walker explained to The Sun that he knew the news of his second extra-marital child was set to emerge and he saw leaving England for Bayern as a chance to “escape” the inevitable media storm. However, he ultimately decided against the transfer because it would have meant moving abroad without his family.
The defender is currently believed to be living alone after being asked to leave the family home. He used the interview to issue an apology to his estranged wife, admitting he has made “idiot choices” and takes full responsibility.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
