After Walker: Pep must now sell Man City star who earns more than Haaland

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is potentially having to oversee more business in the January transfer window than he would have expected before the start of the season.

The Citizens have almost had their hand forced by their poor form on the pitch so far this term, with the club currently sat in sixth place in the Premier League after six defeats in 20 matches.

They are reportedly set to complete the signing of RC Lens central defender Abdukodir Khusanov as their first addition of the January window to bolster their options at the heart of the defence.

The Premier League champions are also reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush this week, as they also look to add to their attacking unit before the end of the window.

This month is not only about incoming deals for City, though, as long-serving right-back Kyle Walker is also on course to move on from The Etihad on a permanent deal.

Italian giants AC Milan are set for talks over a deal to land the England international, who also has interest from Saudi Arabia, and that could take a big amount away from the club’s weekly wage bill.

Why Kyle Walker should be sold

The former Tottenham Hotspur defender, who made the move to City in the summer of 2017, is reportedly on a weekly wage of £175k-per-week, which works out as roughly £9m per season.

He reportedly earns more than the likes of Ederson, Savinho, Nathan Ake, and Mateo Kovacic, among others, and his performances on the pitch this season have not backed up the finances involved in keeping him around.

Walker has made 15 appearances in the Premier League this term, starting nine times, and has struggled defensively. He has been dribbled past 12 times and only completed 17 tackles, which shows that opposition wingers have found it far too easy to get the better of him in one-on-one situations.

As you can see in the graphic from Sky Sports above, Manchester City have been significantly better off without the English veteran in their team in all competitions this season, winning more frequently and conceding far less.

This suggests that Guardiola is right to sanction an exit for the experienced right-back because he is not contributing enough on the pitch to justify his wages.

However, he is not the only high earner the Cityzens should consider moving on in the January transfer window, as there is also speculation over Kevin de Bruyne’s future.

The latest on Kevin de Bruyne’s future

At the start of this month, Football Insider reported that Manchester City are not set to stand in the Belgium international’s way if he wants to move on from the club at the end of the season.

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His current contract at The Etihad is due to expire in the summer and he is able to negotiate pre-contract deals with other clubs this month ahead of leaving on a free transfer ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The report added that teams in the MLS and in Saudi Arabia are interested in swooping for the attacking midfielder, whilst de Bruyne is said to favour a transfer to America at this moment in time.

There was no mention, however, of whether or not any of the interested clubs would be willing to pay a fee to sign him five months early, to provide City with a fee for his services as well as being able to get his wages off their bill earlier than expected.

De Bruyne is reportedly the highest earner within the Manchester City squad on £400k-per-week, even more than Erling Haaland on £375k-per-week, and this means that the Citizens could save themselves a mini fortune by selling him this month, instead of waiting for him to leave for nothing in the summer.

The MLS season starts next month and that could tempt any interested parties from that league to be willing to pay now to sign him three or four months earlier than they otherwise would be able to.

Why Guardiola should ditch De Bruyne

As great as De Bruyne has been over the years for Man City, with 104 goals and 172 assists in 400 appearances in all competitions, the Belgian star has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons.

Since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, the 33-year-old star has missed a whopping 51 matches through injury, after the midfielder only missed 15 games in the two seasons before that combined.

This means that the midfield maestro has consistently been unavailable for selection for Guardiola in crucial periods over the past 18 months, which also may be why they are willing to let him leave on a free transfer in the summer.

De Bruyne, who was described as a “world-class” player by Gary Neville in 2023, has not offered enough on the pitch – as is also the case with Walker – to justify his staggering wages.

As you can see in the table above, Haaland, who earns less than the Belgian in wages, has been significantly better in the Premier League this season, both in terms of his availability and his output in the final third.

There is no denying that de Bruyne is a City legend, as shown by his incredible statistics during his time with the club, but Guardiola should ruthlessly ditch him from the squad this month amid interest from the MLS.

Allowing the Belgian hero to move on in January, along with saving huge amounts of money in wages, would also free up Marmoush, who has scored 14 goals and provided seven assists, to arrive and feel like the main man in the attacking midfield positions, rather than being in de Bruyne’s shadow for the first five months.

Therefore, there are a multitude of reasons why Man City ditching the former Chelsea and Wolfsburg star in the January transfer window could make a lot of sense for the club.

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