Man City 'targeting' shock Premier League star no-one would guess as replacement for Kyle Walker

Manchester City are targeting a surprise Premier League player as a replacement for Kyle Walker, reports claim.

Having been captain since 2023 when Ilkay Gundogan left for Barcelona, Walker has left on loan to AC Milan in the middle of the season after a poor run of form.

With a deal agreed in rapid fashion, Walker has taken the No.32 shirt at Milan until the end of season and has played twice for Sergio Conceicao's side against Inter Milan and Roma.

According to a report from The Athletic, Walker is said to have told City's sporting director Txiki Begiristain of his desire to leave City and his decision to do so and not go directly to Pep Guardiola is believed to have disappointed the six-time Premier League winner given their relationship.

Experiencing the most testing time under Guardiola's reign at City, the club splashed out more than £175 million on four major signings - Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez.

However, they did not bring in a direct replacement for Walker at right-back despite strong interest in Andrea Cambiaso. Matheus Nunes has been converted to a right-back under Guardiola in recent times, with Rico Lewis and Manuel Akanji additional options for the position.

Kyle Walker has featured twice for AC Milan after signing on loan. Image: Getty

But according to Colombian outlet Antena 2, City have their sights on Crystal Palace's Daniel Munoz.

The 28-year-old signed for Palace from Genk in January 2024 and has been a huge success under Oliver Glasner as a right wing-back, playing 42 times for the Eagles.

Chelsea and Barcelona are also believed to be interested in the Colombian international, who nearly retired at the age of 20 but has found success in the Premier League.

Palace signed Munoz for a fee of £6.8 million and will no doubt make a substantial profit on him if they do decided to offload him.

Walker's days at the Etihad Stadium look done

Though Milan's deal for Walker is a loan deal, it is extremely unlikely that the England international will be representing City again. That's because the Rossoneri have the option to buy the 34-year-old for a fee around £4.2 million, according to Sky Italy.

Walker played 319 times for City, winning six Premier League titles, four Carabao Cups, two FA Cups and one Champions League.