Kyle Walker has requested to leave Manchester City, according to Citizens boss Pep Guardiola. The right-back was absent on Saturday as his side thrashed Salford City 8-0 in the third round of the FA Cup.

Walker has been a key player for City since joining the club from Tottenham in 2017 and has helped them win six Premier League titles.

But he has struggled with his form and fitness this season, and hasn’t started a league match since captaining his side during their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in mid-December.

Guardiola was quizzed about Walker’s absence in the wake of City’s victory against Salford. And he explained: “Two days ago Kyle asked to explore the option to play abroad. He went to [director of football] Txiki Begiristain. For that reason I prefer to play [players] whose mind is here.”

Ahead of the match, the Spaniard had addressed the 34-year-old’s lack of game time as he stated: “Maybe he isn’t playing the minutes like in the past. Rico [Lewis] is playing really well, of course the central defenders, and Josko [Gvardiol] is playing well. I decide for that.”

And when asked whether the defender could leave City to move to the Saudi Pro League, he said: “I don't know.”

Walker has featured 319 times for City during his career at the Etihad, bagging six goals and 23 assists in those matches.

He has been the team’s first-choice right-back since joining the club and has been instrumental to their success, although he was only used as a late substitute during their Champions League final victory against Inter Milan in 2023.

But his form has dipped significantly this season, which has coincided with a torrid run of results for the north west giants. And his career at City could be coming to an abrupt end as Guardiola prepares for a rebuild throughout the squad.

Walker was quizzed about City’s predicament at the end of November after the team had begun their decline, which has seen them fall 12 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.

And the England international maintained: “It’s football. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves - we have to dig deep now.

“It’s just a period of football that we’ve not experienced in the eight seasons since I’ve been here. It’s time to show the character and we will keep fighting as we always have done - right until the end.

“If we knew what we were doing wrong, we’d be giving you the answers out there and winning games. Obviously we are trying, the lads are putting in everything.”