A Kyle Walker contract extension is better than any signing Manchester City can make.

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On July 14th, I wrote the skeleton of the article you're reading now. However, the content has changed drastically in just less than a month, with the positive U-turn surrounding Kyle Walker's future.

It was on that day that Walker had given the "green light" on personal terms for a transfer to Bayern Munich, which looked to signify the end of his highly successful six season stay at the club. The deal was dependent on the clubs agreeing a fee, which appeared to be merely a formality.

Reports said City were willing to sell the 33 year old for a reported fee of around €15 million with add ons, which would be an excellent deal for Bayern, considering it's difficult to get a first team quality player for a club competing for the Champions League at a price lower than €60 million in today's market.

But, I reluctantly took the view that if City's number 2 wanted to leave and try a new challenge in a league he's never played in before for one of the world's biggest clubs, he certainly deserved it.

He signed for City from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017 for approximately £50 million, after difficult negotiations with Spurs's notoriously stingy chairman, Daniel Levy. Walker hit the ground running upon his arrival, and was a huge part in City's "Centurions" season, forming a strong partnership with England colleague Raheem Sterling on City's right hand side.

His second season was more of a rocky road. Walker lost his place in the middle of the season after a particularly poor performance at home to Crystal Palace, but he fought his way back into the side as City completed an historic domestic treble (quadruple - if, like Guardiola, you insist the Community Shield is an actual trophy.)

The season disrupted by lockdown was not one that'll go down in history for the Blues or Walker. He had a few off pitch incidents that damaged his reputation, as he hosted a party and travelled up to visit family in his hometown of Sheffield when COVID-19 lockdown rules meant it wasn't permitted to do so.

Walker recovered very well from his negative press and his spell where he was omitted from the England squad, and started the 2020/21 as, in my opinion, City's best player, scoring the winner against boyhood team Sheffield United and putting in stellar performances whilst the rest of the team was struggling.

Once again, he lost his place in the side at Christmas, as Guardiola opted to use Joao Cancelo as an inverted right back, a role that Guardiola has said Walker struggles in. But he fought his way back in once again, and was City's best player in their Champions League final defeat to Chelsea in Porto.

He helped City retain the Premier League title in the 2021/22 season, where he once again played a crucial role at right back. However, he struggled with injuries at the end of the season, which was a large reason as to why City were eliminated in the semi finals of the Champions League by eventual winners Real Madrid.

This season, he once again found himself on the bench in big games, sitting out the Champions League quarter final victories against Bayern and the Champions League final against Inter, with his late cameo from the bench helping City cross the line to win in Europe for the first time, whilst completing the treble to boot.

But, with his contract expiring next summer, this was always going to be a crucial summer when deciding Walker's future.

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Unless City wanted to lose their ninth club legend on a free transfer since Guardiola joined - on top of Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan - they needed to either extend Walker's contract, or let him leave for a transfer fee this summer.

They preferred the former option, but it was highly anticipated that the latter would in fact occur. Walker was understandably upset at being left out of the Champions League final starting XI, and was therefore considering whether he'd be best suited moving clubs for what would likely be the final big move of his career.

I was prepared to wish Walker well, and had prepared this article to wax lyrical about his highly successful City career, giving him what I believed to be the only appropriate send off. I was also beginning to analyse potential replacements for Walker, and found that no-one in Europe came close to what he offered.

So it has come at a surprise that Walker extending his contract would now appear to be a likelihood, rather than a pipe dream.

Walker would be foolish to reject the chance to see off his career playing right at the very top, particularly as he's still one of the best in the world in his position. At City, he'll have almost guaranteed silverware, and can expect to be in with a high chance of starting the biggest games.

If rumours are to be believed, City were, and maybe still are, looking at signing Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard, who was intended to be a like for like replacement for Walker. Whether the Blues still opt to move for the Frenchman if Walker stays remains to be seen.

Ultimately, I believe Walker is the better player of the two, and I'm glad it appears we'll see the 33 year old extend his contract, rather than leave to be replaced by Pavard. But, there would be undoubted positives if Pavard were to make the move to East Manchester.

He is just 27 years old, making him six years Walker's junior, and the age the Englishman was when he signed for City. This gives Guardiola plenty of time to work his coaching magic and nurture him into a top class player, a feat the Catalan has achieved with Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, and many other defenders of a similar age.

Pavard also has vast experience playing on the top stage; he was a part of the Bayern side that won the Champions League in 2020 and started all but one of France's matches as they lifted the World Cup in 2018.

He's more versatile than Walker: equally comfortable playing at right back and right centre back in a back 4. He'd fit very well in the "3-2" build up system, playing on the right hand side of the back 3. Whilst his 1 vs 1 defensive skills aren't to the qualities of Walker's, he is equally as comfortable on the ball, and is better at progressive passing.

But that recovery pace, the one that made Walker so successful in dealing with Vinicius Junior during the 4-0 semi final victory against Real Madrid earlier this season, is something that Pavard, nor any other player on the market, can come close to.

He's had a glittering career so far at City, winning 5 Premier Leagues, 4 FA Cups, 2 Carabao Cups, 2 Community Shields and a Champions League, and it appears we can look forward to at least another season of Walker in sky blue.

His tremendous attitude when it comes to dedicating himself to the team has always meant he's worked his way back into the manager's favour, so don't be surprised if Walker becomes one of the players Guardiola relies upon heavily next season.

Walker will go down as a modern day legend, and despite Zabaleta's popularity with the fans, the Englishman will surely go down as the best right back in the club's history. He's had a very important decision to make on his future in a short space of time, and it looks like he's finally decided for the better.

Nobody on the market, nor in world football, can match Walker in what he does; his pace, his attitude, his composure on the ball, his strength, his recoveries, his overlapping threat, his experience and leadership - is all rolled into one magnificent player.

The fact that City no longer need to fill his void, in a summer where they've seen a key player and a leader in Gundogan depart, will be vital in how they compete for the biggest trophies again next season.

This will be their aim, and there's no signing in world football that City can make that'll give them a better chance at doing that than tying Walker down for the next few seasons.

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