After seven years at Manchester City, it was reported over the weekend that footballer Kyle Walker is eyeing up a relocation to Italy – largely in a bid to repair his marriage with Annie Kilner.
And with the Premier League star poised to transfer to Italian club AC Milan, insiders tell Closer that Lauryn Goodman – who has two children with the footballer – has been left riled by the news of his overseas move.
A source close to the influencer – who has Kairo, four, and 18-month-old Kinara with Kyle – says, ‘Lauryn can’t believe Kyle’s even considering moving to Italy – this move has come as a huge shock to her. It isn’t just about football, it’s about his responsibilities. She thinks he’s selfish and needs to stay in the UK where his children are, even if he doesn’t want anything to do with them.’
Kyle, 34, made national headlines last January when it was revealed that he had fathered a second child with Lauryn, also 34, more than three years after they became parents to Kairo following a brief fling. Kyle and Annie, 32, were allegedly on a break when Kairo was conceived, but the sportsman’s shock paternity of Kinara came during his wife’s fourth pregnancy, causing outrage at his infidelity.
Kyle – who wed Annie in 2021 after a spell of make-ups and break-ups – issued a grovelling public apology to his childhood sweetheart, but it did little to pacify her, as she reportedly kicked him out of their family home in Cheshire shortly after. While the state of their marriage remained unclear for some time, the mum-of-four seemingly sent a strong message in October when she served her unfaithful husband with divorce papers.
However, the pair – who are parents to Roman, 13, Riaan, who turns nine this month, Reign, six, and eight-month-old Rezon – raised eyebrows over the Christmas period when they posed in matching pyjamas with their sons, leading many to believe they had reconciled.
And after it was reported that Kyle and Annie – who has been pictured with her wedding ring back on since divorce speculation mounted – are ‘hoping that alone time will help them decide if there’s anything to salvage’, insiders say that Lauryn’s pals have a genuine concern that she is obsessed with the England right-back.
‘Lauryn has been laser-focused on Kyle lately. She brings him up in almost every conversation – whether it’s about her personal life, future plans, or even casual chats,’ the source says.
‘It’s like she’s built her whole world around him, and it’s worrying friends. She tracks his career moves, analyses his social media, and even speculates about his personal decisions as if they directly involve her. Some of her pals think it’s time to stage an intervention where they’ll sit her down and remind her that she needs to focus on her own life and happiness.’
Lauryn has often opened up to her 250,000 Instagram followers about solo parenting, and recently vented her frustration at Kyle’s continued lack of presence in her children’s lives over the festive season.
Referring to Kyle, one of her followers asked her during a Q&A, ‘Did “that” even attempt to buy the kids [anything] for Christmas or even a card or does the ball and chain not allow?’ to which Lauryn replied, ‘You said it...’.
In an exclusive interview with Closer at the end of 2024, mum-of-two Lauryn revealed she’d like renewed contact with Kyle for the kids. She said, ‘I’m hopeful [Kairo and Kinara’s] dad will come back to them and continue to build his relationship with them. I hope for Kyle’s sake it is sooner rather than later, because Kairo is starting to understand now.’
She added, ‘I hope we can all just move forward and do what’s right by all the children. I have faith and hope that bridges will be built for the sake of Kairo and Kinara, because at the end of the day, we share two wonderful children together and life is just too short.’
But a source tells Closer that Lauryn’s strive for amicability and a co-parenting dynamic has reached the point where she would follow Kyle in order to achieve it.
The insider explains, ‘Lauryn wants to hold Kyle accountable and fears she won’t be able to if he moves abroad. Her frustration about Kyle’s possible move to Italy is one thing, but the lengths she’s gone to voice it are alarming. She’s even called mutual friends to try to influence his decision-making. She will consider moving abroad too, as she wants to be as close to him as possible. She’s already started looking at options. If he decides to move abroad, there is no doubt she will follow him wherever he goes.’