Man City to let Walker leave for free as Ibrahimovic works on Milan deal
Manchester City will reportedly let Kyle Walker leave on a free transfer in January if he does not agree to stay put at the Etihad, which comes as a bonus for Milan, whose directors are working on a deal for the 34-year-old England international according to the latest reports.
Pep Guardiola confirmed earlier in the week that Walker has asked to leave the club in the January transfer window to finish off his career with an experience abroad.
Though there have been suggestions that he could be heading for the Saudi Pro League, it is Milan who have come out as the frontrunners to land the right-back’s signature this month.
Reports in the UK claim that Milan advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic is working personally behind the scenes in order to get a deal done.
Reports Man City will allow Milan target Kyle Walker to leave for free
Now, La Gazzetta dello Sport claim that if Walker does not agree to stay on with Manchester City, he will be allowed to leave for free as a gesture of goodwill after seven and a half years of service, six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups and a Champions League.
That means that if a deal with Milan were to go through, the Rossoneri would only need to cover his wages and bonuses.
That is still not a particularly cheap operation, as Walker reportedly earns around 9m per season, not including bonuses, and is reportedly seeking a two-and-a-half year contract.
Walker is not the only England international Milan have been linked with this transfer window. There are also reports that the Rossoneri are working on a deal with Manchester United for Marcus Rashford.
Due to Serie A rules, however, clubs are currently only allowed to register one new player from the UK per transfer window, which means that Milan will not be able to sign both Walker and Rashford.
Click here for more details on why Milan can not sign both Rashford and Walker in January.