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Rob Dawson, Correspondent
Kyle Walker admitted he was “close” to leaving Manchester City for Bayern Munich this summer, but has revealed he’s now set to sign a new contract at the Etihad Stadium.
Walker was wanted by the Bundesliga champions, but chose to stay at City after they returned with their own offer of a new deal.
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The 33-year-old is now set to pen a contract which will keep him at the club until 2026. Speaking after the 5-1 win over Fulham on Saturday, Walker was asked how close he came to joining Bayern.
“It was close,” the England international said. “It was close but in football, things can happen. Decisions can be made. Things can turn. It wasn’t meant to be. Would I have enjoyed the experience? Of course I would have done. But this club is a great club and you can’t underestimate what this club has done in the last six or seven years.”
After helping City win a historic treble last season, Walker entered the final year of his current contract over the summer and the defender says the decision about his future was based on which club offered the longest deal and where he was likely to play regular football.
“In the back of my head I always wanted to play for Man City, but I had to do what was right for me and my future and that was just whichever club gave me the most years,” said Walker. “Why should I walk away if I am going to get enough game time that’s right for me?
“That is all I want. I want to play football. I love the game and want to play, whether that’s here, Germany, Italy, Spain or in the Championship.
“I wanted to play football so if I don’t feel that I am getting enough game time whether that is on X amount of pounds or no pounds, I just want to play football.
“The money, I don’t care about it. You might say that’s a cliché, but I don’t care about it. I am just worried about my happiness and playing football.”
Walker is set to follow Bernardo Silva in signing a new contract at City and if he sees out all three years, it will take him to a decade at the club he joined from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017.
“The extension is coming,” he said. “I love the place. I’ve experienced things I only dreamt of here, especially the last season, so why would you want to leave a club like this?
“It was about who gave me the most years. It wasn’t like I was going to a worse club because Bayern Munich is a massive club. It wasn’t a step down, it was just what gave me the years in my contract to play football at the highest level.
“[Pep Guardiola] has made it clear to a lot of players that if you have a desire to do something else or experience something else he won’t stop you. He’s shown that with the players he’s let go since I’ve been here.”