Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are reportedly lining up a move for out-of-favour Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips in January.
According to The Sun, Bayern Munich could offer England international midfielder Kalvin Phillips a “shock escape route” from Manchester City in the upcoming winter transfer window.
Phillips moved to Manchester City from Leeds United last summer for a fee of £42 million. But he has been restricted to just 26 appearances and under 760 minutes of action in the 15 months or so since then.
Despite his struggles to break into the first team and being handed the green light by Pep Guardiola to find a new club amid widespread interest in his services last summer, the 27-year-old stayed put at the club and was adamant about fighting for his place.
However, playing time has been at a minimum for the former Leeds United playmaker. In fact, Phillips has only featured in 70 minutes of Premier League action this season, despite Rodri’s three-match ban following a red card against Wolves earlier in the season.
Phillips’s only start this season so far has come in the Carabao Cup. And it was an underwhelming display from the Englishman, who picked up a yellow card as City were dumped out in the third round by Newcastle United.
With Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic arriving to bolster the Citizens’ midfield ranks in the summer, Phillips is likely to remain on the fringes for the foreseeable future, while the Catalan boss considers 18-year-old right-back Rico Lewis ahead of him in the midfield pecking order.
Needless to say, Phillips is not in the plans of his manager. And with the 2024 European Championships just around the corner, a January transfer is more likely on the cards. His lack of game time has seemingly not stopped teams from across Europe from voicing an interest in his services, with Bayern now showing an interest in landing his signature.
Thomas Tuchel is scouring the market for a new defensive midfielder. The Bavarians came very close to signing Portuguese defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha. But a prospective deal fell through in the final hours of the summer window in Germany.
Palhinha was in Munich waiting for the green light from Fulham. But, in the end, he was forced to return to Craven Cottage. The Fulham midfielder recently claimed that he hopes to resurrect his move to Bayern in January, despite penning a new long-term deal with the Cottagers.
It was expected that the Portugal international would just have to wait half a season before getting his wish. But it seems the Bundesliga giants could have other midfield targets in their sights, having recently been linked with a move for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone and now weighing up a move for Phillips.
Meanwhile, Aurelien Tchouameni has also emerged as a target for the Euro giants. Bayern could move for Phillips initially on loan, which would be a cheaper alternative to spending £50 million midway through the season to get Palhinha out of Fulham.
