Last year, Kyle Walker's long-suffering wife Annie Kilner was preparing for war and telling her friends she was considering divorce.
But after a fun Christmas with the Man City star and their children – and amid growing speculation he is being courted in a multi-million pound transfer to play in Saudi Arabia – that could all change again.
Those close to Annie, 33, tell The Sun that she has put the brakes on rumors of a split and has instead moved the City and England defender back to the marital home.
An insider said: 'It's only been a few months since Annie served Kyle with divorce papers but she's having second thoughts.
“He is a top target for Saudi Arabia clubs and if he decides to make a deal it will be life-changing – and not just because of the huge amount of money he will make.”
Any move to the Arab state is still up in the air but Kyle, 34, is a top target for major teams including Al Nassr, where Portuguese ace Cristiano Ronaldo is captain.
Deals mooted by clubs in the oil-rich country are said to be worth more than £20 million, with Kyle easily set to bank £400,000 a week if he chooses to try his luck abroad.
And friends close to Annie say the money will do the talking.
They added: “Annie is not crazy. She sought legal advice about the finances last year and knows that the deal is worth a lot in Saudi Arabia.
'Annie says it's not about the money, it's about keeping their family together, but his earning potential is something she will definitely have thought about.
“She is smart and has been formulating a plan for a long time.
Posed in matching Christmas pajamas
“Annie always puts the kids first, but she has to think about herself too – and financially she wants to make sure she's safe no matter what happens between them.
“Kyle has assured her that no matter what happens, she will get the financial support.”
The couple put on a united front at Christmas as they posed in matching pajamas with their four children, Roman, 13, Riaan, eight, six-year-old Reign and baby Rezon.
It was a perfect scene compared to last December, when their lives were turned upside down by the news that Kyle had fathered a secret daughter with reality TV star Lauryn Goodman.
Annie, who started dating Kyle when she was 16, was pregnant with their fourth child at the time.
He already shares four-year-old son Kairo with Lauryn after dating her during a brief separation from Annie.
Speaking about the family's lovely Christmas reunion, a fellow Wag said: “It seems like Kyle is happy to be back home with his family and they're looking to the future.
“I'm not sure if there's anything set in stone about their relationship, but they're together more than ever before – as if spending time together at Christmas has helped them both appreciate what they have.
“Whatever their future holds, they will make it work for their boys, who are everything to them.”
Kyle made a groveling apology to devastated Annie in The Sun last January.
At the time, he said he was desperate to save the marriage, but admitted he wouldn't blame Annie if she chose to divorce him.
Last month, in a sign that their relationship was back on track, Kyle smiled like the cat that got the cream as he flashed his wedding ring during a night out playing darts.
He was in good spirits at Alexandra Palace in London as he watched the World Cup, shortly after moving home for the holidays.
Annie also put her ring back on, but has tried to discreetly cover her hand in public in recent weeks to avoid speculation.
Our insider added: “Spending time with Kyle over Christmas has made Annie rethink everything.
“She let him move back into the family home and it was great for her to see Kyle and how great he is with their kids.
“Despite what happened between them, Kyle is a brilliant father.
'She knows that this is not the right time to take the legal route of divorce and has taken the advice that timing is critical when it comes to a divorce.
'They have the children to think about – they're still young – and that's been a big factor in Annie's thinking.
“She is not rushing into anything and biding her time, especially with all the talk about Saudi Arabia and a possible move there.”
The couple have only been married since November 2021, but met in his hometown of Sheffield when they were teenagers.
Kyle was first accused of cheating in 2016 when he was caught sending a message to Playboy model Carla Howe while in France with the England squad for the European Championship.
In 2019, Ex On The Beach star Laura Brown messaged Annie to confess that she and Kyle had enjoyed a series of romps, including once in his £200,000 Bentley 4×4.
Annie immediately dumped Kyle, who moved into a flat, where he hosted a sex party with a friend and two call girls during the Covid lockdown.
While single, he started a relationship with Lauryn, who quickly became pregnant and gave birth in 2020.
Annie took him back and eighteen months later they married in an intimate ceremony at Mottram Hall in Cheshire.
But The Sun recently revealed that Annie's friends claimed she was looking at her options as early as 2019, insisting: “Marrying Kyle would give me security if he ever does it again.”
'Some told her to cut her losses and run'
She apparently asked at least four footballers' wives for advice before marrying the love rat, just in case history repeats itself.
One said: “Some said she should leave him then and there – just cut her losses and run. But others warned that marrying him would be the only way she could secure herself financially.”
In reports from The Sun five years ago, before the couple tied the knot, Annie glumly admitted: “It's the same old s**t – he's been doing it for ten years,” before asking friends for their views on how they make themselves financially future-proof.
Annie seemed to predict that he would betray her again, writing to a friend at the time: “He will have a lonely end.”
Annie turned out to be right about his repeated actions, when he briefly rekindled things with Lauryn weeks after Kairo was born and lived a lie for over a year after discovering she was pregnant with his second child.
Lauryn later took Kyle to court to seek a financial settlement for their children.
After Lauryn's confession to Annie about daughter Kinara, he told The Sun in an emotional interview that he had lied to both women.
He added: “It was a double-edged sword between my conscience being clear and the loss of my family.
“I hurt someone who I truly believe is my soulmate. Annie knows I'm sorry. I'm sorry, because as a family this is not the intention. They are all I have.”
A move from the Middle East for the English star would follow a tough season at City.
He has 19 months left on his Etihad contract but admitted he would “never say never” when rumors started circulating last year. Now Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad from the Saudi professional league are keen to secure his signature.
If Kyle makes the move, he would follow in the footsteps of England team-mate Ivan Toney, who signed a £20m-a-year contract with Al-Ahli last summer after joining from Brentford.
But whether he can enjoy that money with or without Annie is still on the agenda.
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