Kyle Walker explains why he rejected Bayern Munich to stay at Man City with new contract imminent

Kyle Walker has explained his decision to stay at Manchester City and reject a move to Bayern Munich this summer, with a new contract now imminent.

The England defender won his fifth Premier League last year as well as the FA Cup and Champions League to add to his list of many achievements since joining from Tottenham in 2017.

However, he was also left out of the team at various points in the season – most notably for the Champions League final, where he gave a passionate address to his teammates beforehand – as Pep Guardiola preferred other options.

Bayern Munich offered Walker a fresh challenge in the summer and, speaking for the first time about it, the 33-year-old admitted he came close to joining the Bundesliga champions. When the teams met in Tokyo in July for a friendly, there was confidence from Germany that Walker would switch.

However, City responded emphatically with Guardiola keen not to lose the defender’s quality and experience having already Ilkay Gundogan depart. It meant that instead of heading to Munich, Walker has instead agree to sign a new deal in Manchester that takes him to 2026 – when he will be 36.

Speaking to BBC, Walker said: “Decisions can be made, things can turn. It was close but in football, things can happen. It wasn’t meant to be. Would I have enjoyed the experience? Of course I would, but this is a great club and you can’t underestimate what this club has done in the last six or seven years.

“Why should I walk away if I am going to get enough game time that’s right for me? That is all I want. It was about who gave me the most years. It wasn’t like I was going to a worse club because Bayern Munich is a massive club and seeing what Harry [Kane] is doing there and will do, it wasn’t a step down.

“In the back of my head, I always wanted to play for Manchester City but I had to do what was right for me and my future. It was just about which club gave me the years in my contract to play football at the highest level.”

When asked when he would sign the dotted line, Walker added: “The extension is coming. It’s my seventh season here and I feel like one of the old ones. I love the place. I’ve experienced things I only dreamt of here – especially the last season – so why would you want to leave a club like this?

“I am a Manchester City player. I am contracted to them so what do you want me to do? Turn around and say ‘I am not playing because I want to force a move to Bayern Munich’. That is not me as a person. I have a contract with the club and I will play for the club until the contract [ends] or they sell me – and I wasn’t sold.”

Kyle Walker will be next seen in action for England as the Three Lions face Ukraine in a Euro 2024 qualifying game on September 9 before taking on Scotland in a friendly clash on September 12.