Kyle Walker officially joined the Rossoneri in the final week of the 2025 winter transfer window. This was a deal that was both surprising and not surprising. Walker is 35 years old and has not been able to keep his place in the starting lineup of Manchester City. However, he still has more than a year left on his contract and can choose to stay, receive the rest of his salary and find a new destination in the summer of 2026.
One of the reasons Walker decided to stay with AC Milan was because he could not compete for a starting position despite wearing the captain's armband. This was Pep Guardiola's most difficult season in the past 8 years at the Etihad Stadium. A player who was on the other side of his career like Walker was no longer very useful on the pitch.
When choosing Milan as his destination, Walker could not hide his excitement to prove himself. The Rossoneri have included a buyout clause for the English star after this summer, so if he proves his worth, Walker will have a new chapter in the final stage of his career.
Before the wing of reporters in Italy on the launch of AC Milan, Walker shared about the last days of the Man City and the new ambition to join the mighty Milan team.
"The last period at Man City was not really beautiful when I did not play much. The reason I joined this great team was to be able to show myself more, from there help Milan win more.
When I spoke to Pep Guardiola about this decision, it was not a very comfortable conversation. It was based on mutual respect. What Pep had at Manchester City, I also fully contributed to. I wanted Pep to understand that apart from my professional life, I also had other values in the dressing room and positive things off the pitch.
Manchester City is my family. The people there, from the cleaners, the doctors to the chefs, are all very familiar. During my time there, I was loved and supported by everyone. However, in terms of skills, I did not get to play much. Hopefully everything can change here" - Kyle Walker shared on the day of his Milan debut.
When asked about his choice to stay at Man City for the remaining 18 months of his contract, Walker shared that it was not a bad choice but the desire to prove himself pushed him to Milan.
"I could have chosen to stay at Man City until the end of my contract. However, when I think about it, I find choosing new challenges for life much more interesting. I feel the need to look for big differences. When talking to former English players, they all have the same opinion that they wish they could play abroad once in their career to experience. Now, I have that opportunity.
"If I didn't go to a big club, it would be difficult to find the experience like playing for Manchester City. Therefore, when a team like AC Milan came calling, I couldn't refuse because this opportunity doesn't come around often. It's exactly what I wanted" - Kyle Walker shared.
