Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker is reportedly set to put pen to paper on a new contract with the Premier League and Champions League winners within the next few days.
The 33-year-old now has fewer than 12 months left to run on his current terms and was persistently linked with a move to Bayern Munich earlier in the summer.
Pep Guardiola's tactical switch often meant that there was no room for Walker in his starting XI, as John Stones took on an inverted hybrid role from the right-hand side of defence.
As a result, Walker only made 22 Premier League starts and was named on the bench for the Champions League final, although he did play the full 90 in the FA Cup final win over Manchester United.
Nevertheless, Guardiola bluntly admitted last season that Walker could not play in the Stones role in his new system, seemingly pushing the England international further towards the exit door.
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Walker was allegedly open to a transfer to Bayern Munich and informed Man City of his desire to join the Bavarian giants, who have already signed his former Tottenham Hotspur teammate Harry Kane.
In recent weeks, however, Walker has apparently been leaning towards staying at the Etihad, and Guardiola publicly stated that he wanted to keep the right-back at the start of August.
The Citizens are now believed to have succeeded with an improved contract offer for Walker, and according to Fabrizio Romano, he should put pen to paper in the coming days.
Man City are optimistic that Walker's renewal will be finalised by the end of next week, as the defender recently assured the club that he wanted to stay despite Bayern's interest.
The Englishman was rumoured to have agreed personal terms with Bayern, but the Bavarians failed to satisfy Man City's financial demands, and the Citizens subsequently tabled a more lucrative deal to Walker.
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The right-back - whose most recent contract extension came all the way back in 2019 - has registered six goals and 18 assists in 256 matches for Man City since joining from Tottenham in 2017.
Walker has played key roles in five Premier League triumphs in that time, as well as winning the Champions League, four EFL Cups, two FA Cups and two Community Shield titles.
The ex-Spurs man has also started both of Man City's opening games of the new term against Arsenal and Burnley, wearing the captain's armband in his side's loss to the Gunners in the Community Shield.
With Stones and Ruben Dias recovering from injuries, Walker is expected to keep his place in the first XI for Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup clash with Sevilla, which precedes the visit of Newcastle United to the Etihad for Saturday's Premier League showdown.
Walker previously spent 13 years at Sheffield United between 1997 and 2010, and the 33-year-old has stated that he wants to return to Bramall Lane before he hangs up his boots.
Ben Knapton
