Manchester City captain Kyle Walker has asked to leave the club with AC Milan hoping to sign the England defender.

After City’s 8-0 FA Cup win over League Two side Salford City, Pep Guardiola revealed that on Thursday Walker had asked the club’s director of football Txiki Begiristain to be allowed to move to “another country” this month.

Walker – who has 18 months left on his contract at City - was omitted from their squad against Salford and it is understood that Italian giants Milan are eager to bring the defender to San Siro and confident of getting a deal over the line.

City sources said on Saturday night that the club had yet to receive a formal offer for Walker.

Walker came close to leaving City for Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023 in the wake of the club’s Treble success but was persuaded to stay in Manchester by Guardiola during a private dinner. He ended up signing a new three year contract and became club captain.

But the 34-year-old – who has endured a difficult season on the pitch and faced personal challenges off it – has now resolved to leave, with Milan hoping to progress a deal next week.

City agreed a £33.6 million fee with Lens for the Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov on Friday and Guardiola is also hoping to add the Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush in a potential £50 million deal this month.

Walker has won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Club World Cup and the Champions League during a glittering eight year spell at City following a £50 million move from Spurs in 2017.

“It’s not easy for me to say because I should tell him but he’s not here so two days ago Kyle asked to explore the options to play abroad at the end of his career,” Guardiola said when asked about Walker after the Salford game.

“He’s been our right-back, giving us something we didn’t have, but now in his mind he would like to explore to go to another country to play his last years for many reasons.

“For that reason, I prefer to play other players whose mind is here. He went to Txiki. He asked to explore, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen because you never know the situation.”

Interest in Walker from Saudi Arabia last summer came to nothing and the player has struggled to hold down a regular place this season after struggling for form. Milan have previously registered an interest.

“He asked [to leave] two years ago after the treble,” Guardiola said. “Bayern wanted him but the offer was not good enough and the club [told] him how important he is. We cannot understand the success we had these years without Kyle. It’s impossible.

“I respect a lot because I’m more than grateful since he has been [here] many years for us. His first season here, we started to win, win, win , win, win.

“He’s been important for the national team and important for our team but he said that ‘I want to explore, my mind and my heart and I want to explore it’. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Rico Lewis offers Guardiola a right-back option and has been selected ahead of Walker this season, although his departure would leave little cover in the position.

There have also been talks over a deal worth more than £30 million for Brazilian centre-back Vitor Reis, with Palmeiras wanting the teenager loaned back to them for the rest of the season.