Pep Guardiola leading Manchester City’s interest in chosen Kyle Walker replacement | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola is spearheading Manchester City’s interest in Flamengo defender Wesley to replace Kyle Walker this summer, as per a new report.

Walker joined AC Milan on loan till the end of the season after a disastrous few months of form at the Etihad Stadium that saw him fall out of favour with Pep Guardiola and seek a mid-season move to the Serie A.

The England international will enter the final 12 months on his current Manchester City deal when he returns from loan but the 2023 treble winners have made it clear that Walker has no future in Manchester and is not part of the club’s plans for next season.

Manchester City are looking to bring in at least one new full-back in the summer transfer window and have identified Juventus pair Nicolò Savona and Andrea Cambiaso as possible additions to their backline come the end of the season.

Matheus Nunes, a natural midfielder – January signing Abdukodir Khusanov, primarily a centre-back – and academy graduate Rico Lewis – have collectively lifted the weight of right-back since Walker’s loan exit in January.

However, after a sub-standard season that saw Manchester City surrender their Premier League crown to Liverpool and crash out of the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 stage, club bosses will back Guardiola heavily in the transfer market to rebuild a winning team.

According to the Flamengo YouTube channel Paparazzo Rubo-Negro, whose information has been relayed by Sport Witness, Pep Guardiola is driving Manchester City’s interest in 21-year-old Flamengo full-back Wesley as he searches for a long-term replacement for Walker.

Wesley has a long-term deal at Flamengo running till 2028 but Manchester City have money to spend this summer after a few years of lucrative sales that have seen them balance the books and gain significant Financial Fair Play leeway.

It is understood that Flamengo value Wesley at €37 million but that figure is likely to rise when it is Manchester City – backed by their Abu-Dhabi based owners – who are trying to attract another of Brazil’s brightest prospects to England.

“Is it possible? Yes, yes, it is possible. The City Group wants to sign right-back Wesley, Manchester City, at Guardiola’s request, is interested in signing Wesley,” Rubo-Negro said.

“The big secret is to convince the management led by President Luiz Eduardo Bapista, BAP, to change their mind about not wanting to sell the 22-year-old athlete now, before the Club World Cup.

“At the current exchange rate, what I had already found out is that it was a situation where Flamengo expected to receive at least €40 million. Flamengo was projecting a sale of €35 million and now it is projecting an even higher sale.

“There are other clubs interested in signing the right back, Wesley, an absolute starter under Felipe Luiz. In addition to Manchester City – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona are monitoring the situation.”