The England defender, 27, was named in the PFA Team of the Year last season for Tottenham.

That fired him onto the radar of both Chelsea and City who were looking to strengthen their back lines.

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But while both teams made bids for Walker, the right-back opted for a move to the Etihad in a move worth an initial £50m.

"If you want Walker, you know that Walker is expensive. We tried to buy Walker," said Conte.

"Honestly, I think now every single player is expensive. For you to even enquire about one player, he is expensive.

"You go to buy a right-back, a left-back or a central defender and he is expensive.

"It is very difficult in the transfer market for the teams that need to improve their squads."

Chelsea have already splashed the cash this summer, signing Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid, Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco and Antonio Rudiger from Roma.

But the Blues are expected to add competition for their full-backs before the end of the window.