Man City 'preparing' £69m offer to sign "unbelievable" Kyle Walker replacement
Kyle Walker left Manchester City to join Premier League rivals Burnley this summer for a fee of £5m in total.
Manchester City have made improvements this summer. They have added Rayan Cherki in attack, Tijani Reijnders in midfield and Rayan Ait-Nouri in defence. However, Pep Guardiola will still want more reinforcements before the new season.
Last year, City’s biggest weakness was in defence, with the likes of Kyle Walker and John Stones beginning to show their age. Walker has left the club to join Premier league rivals Burnley, and Man City are yet to replace the English right-back.
They had been linked to Inter Milan full-back Denzel Dumfries, but his £21m release clause expired earlier in the month, and City will now need to consider other targets. They have now been linked with a La Liga star to replace Walker.
Man City ‘preparing’ bid for Joules Kounde
Barcelona full-back Joules Kounde is considered as one of the best in the world; however, with the La Liga side holding concerns over their finances, they could be forced to sell Kounde this summer in order to generate some funds and free up their wage budget.
Reports in Spain are saying that Man City are interested in the 26-year-old and that they are considering a concrete move for him. Spanish outlet Fichajes are reporting that City are preparing an offer of around £69m to sign Kounde this summer, and that the Uruguayan is their main defensive target.
However, French Journalist Fabrice Hawkins has said on X that Barcelona and Kounde are working on a new contract extension, with the defender’s current deal due to expire in 2027. He says that Manchester City and another top club have made enquiries regarding the future of the 26-year-old.
Any chance that City can sign Kounde will likely rest on if his contract negotiations at Barcelona break down. The defender made 53 appearances for Hansi Flick’s side last year, scoring four goals, and providing eight assists.
The Barcelona manager is very keen on Kounde, and was quoted last season in Barca Blaugranes. Flick said: “It’s unbelievable… He’s an absolute professional about his body… Every training he tries to give his best. It’s fantastic. It’s not normal, this attitude.”
Who else could City replace Walker with?
Kounde is one option that has emerged at right-back after any potential deal between City and Newcastle to sign English full-back Tino Livramento was shut down by the Magpies, who said he was not for sale.
Guardiola will now have to look at other options who can help to fill the void left by Walker. One name that City should consider is Tottenham Hotspur defender Pedro Porro, who they were linked with in the January transfer window.
If they want a proper replacement for Walker, why not sign one of the best right-backs in the world? Porro would be ideal in terms of helping the City attackers to get more chances going forward, as he is one of the best crossers of the ball in the Premier League.
Furthermore, Spurs could be willing to sell the 25-year-old if City offer a big enough fee due to the emergence last season of Djed Spence, who played in place of Porro when the full-back was injured. He has an estimated market value of around £33m, and having previously been a Man City player until 2022, it would be familiar territory for him.