If Annie Walker is as smart as her friends say, why is she still with cheat Kyle Walker? Her £27m game plan is crumbling

YEARS of public humiliation thanks to the wayward ways of her Manchester City husband Kyle Walker has left Annie Kilner mapping out a game plan.

Those close to her told me last September that they believe this will come in the colour of money – with the WAG seeking legal advice to assure she’d receive half of Kyle’s £27million fortune, regardless of whether they stay together or not.

Kyle and Annie, who married in 2022 and share four sons, spent Christmas together, with him back inside their £3.5million Cheshire home.

And while I can imagine keeping a civil tongue while carving the turkey in their matching pyjamas was just a tad challenging, Annie swallowed it all for the sake of their boys.

Going forward, friends say, Annie has now slammed the brakes on her divorce plans because the reality of leaving him isn’t quite hitting the spot.

Back in September, friends close to Annie told me she had been “formulating a get-out plan for some time in terms of finances,” adding: “Annie is actually very astute and is no one’s fool.”

And that is why, pals say, Annie is choosing to stick around a little longer.

Interest in Man City right-back Kyle from the big hitters in Saudi Arabia is said to have piqued Annie’s interest.

Club Al-Ahli have added his name to their target list of Premier League stars who could be primed for a move to Saudi.

The cash value of the move is out of this world, with Kyle said to be looking at a wage package of around £400,000-a-week – or over £20million a year to save you getting your calculator out.

It's little wonder then that Annie is choosing to stick by Kyle, despite his numerous indiscretions.

Those close to Annie are concerned about her decision, and it’s not hard to see why.

Even the strongest of women can only take such a ferocious public flogging for so long.

Kyle’s other woman - as much he’d loathe the phrase - Lauryn Goodman isn't going anywhere.

And Lauryn's desperate attempts for attention, driven by what she claims is a desire for her two children to be treated the same as Annie’s, won’t just dissipate.

Which leaves Annie at a crossroads.

Stay and suck it up in the desperate hope she’ll find a lawyer good enough to get what she wants from Kyle, or walk away with her head held high.

And, let’s be honest, if she does that she will be walking away with more money in her bank than any normal person could ever dream of - especially if he does go to Saudi and banks millions more.

Those close to Kyle quietly confided that Annie’s hope of getting her hands on half of his fortune is exactly that – a hope.

"Annie has another thing coming if she thinks Kyle's advisers would let her walk away with half everything," one said.

"She has been through hell and back with Kyle and he knows he has made mistakes. He has apologised to Annie repeatedly.

"Kyle is happy to give Annie whatever she wants. He said she can have half of it all, he just wants her to feel secure.

"The people who are there to look after his assets however will take a different view. They don't have the same emotional connection."

Staying, to put it bluntly, is flogging an exhausted horse which, when it’s sleeping in its stable, won’t see the jockey riding off to try out another steed.

Which begs the question why a woman who friends say is highly intelligent is sticking around for another furlong?

An extra few million in the settlement or sitting in the dock in the court of public opinion for the next couple of years.

I know what I’d do: get out now Annie. Save yourself the aggro.