Manchester City eye Benjamin Mendy and Kyle Walker to follow Bernardo Silva swoop

Pep Guardiola wants the athletic pair as he goes about retooling his defence

Ed Malyon
Friday 26 May 2017 14:54 EDT
Comments
Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy are both full-back targets for Manchester City this summer
Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy are both full-back targets for Manchester City this summer (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Manchester City are looking to move quickly and secure two of Europe's best full-backs in Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy, following the arrival of Bernardo Silva.

Pep Guardiola is giving his defence a makeover this summer, having released veteran full-back trio Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy on Thursday. And the club is confident of signing Walker, who has shone for Tottenham and England over the last two seasons.

Walker clashed with Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino this spring and decided he wants to leave the club, with City set to become the beneficiaries. The 26-year-old can expect to double his £70,000 per week wage at the Etihad, while City have for some time been aware of, and comfortable with, the fee Tottenham would need to complete the deal.

City will not stop there, though, and have set aside some £300m for transfers this summer. Left-back Benjamin Mendy is another player they are pursuing, with Monaco already in the market for his replacement and targeting Aston Villa's Jordan Amavi.

Mendy and Bernardo's sales could net Monaco around £100m in a summer where they will likely also lose midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko to the Premier League.

They have already looked to the next generation by signing Anderlecht midfielder Youri Tielemans as a replacement for Bernardo, and there is an increasing confidence they can repel bids for teen forward Kylian Mbappé.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in