Newcastle United have reportedly identified out-of-favour Manchester City playmaker Kalvin Phillips as their priority transfer target ahead of the January transfer window.
According to Football Insider, Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips remains a priority target for Newcastle as manager Eddie Howe looks to beef up his midfield options in the wake of Sandro Tonali’s 10-month ban from football.
The Magpies’ season was going smoothly recently, with some fantastic results picked up across all competitions, not least a hard-fought 1-0 victory at home to Arsenal at the weekend.
However, Eddie Howe’s plans have been thrown into chaos, with Sandro Tonali’s ban confirmed to be ten months long after being found guilty of football betting breaches.
This is a very worrying development from a Newcastle perspective, considering they are already without the young midfielder for the rest of the season, not to mention what a bitter blow it is for the player himself, who will also miss Euro 2024 with Italy.
Meanwhile, the English Football Association (FA) have opened up an investigation of their own, which could result in further punishment.
There is no disputing that this is a major setback for Newcastle, with the 23-year-old an influential and exciting player from AC Milan, and their squad depth will now be tested without him until the January transfer window.
At that point, Newcastle may need to head back into the transfer market to seek additional reinforcements for their midfield for the season ahead, with a host of names thrown into the hat recently, especially Manchester City and England man Kalvin Phillips, who has been strongly linked with a move to St James’ Park and is apparently at the top of the Magpies’ three-man shortlist.
Phillips joined City from Leeds United for a fee in the region of £45 million last summer, but he has struggled for regular minutes at the Etihad. Displacing the impeccable Rodri in a defensive midfield role has proven to be an uphill task for the England international, who only started four games last term.
Many assumed he’s just taking time to adjust to life under Pep Guardiola, but Phillips has not improved this season, and he still can’t get into the side.
Even with Rodri suspended for three games, Guardiola didn’t trust the former Leeds playmaker enough to start him in their Premier League games against Wolves and Arsenal.
The 27-year-old’s lack of minutes at club level has not stopped England manager Gareth Southgate from picking him up for the Three Lions squad, but for how long remains the question.
After opting against a transfer away from the Etihad in the summer transfer window, Phillips is expected to finally move on when the window re-opens in the winter transfer window.
The Englishman would be a strong fit for the player that Howe could explore in the January window to replace Tonali. He’s got a set of golf clubs in his feet and an exceptional range of passing.
Not to mention, he used to be a tenacious ball-winner and a reasonably decent presser under Marcelo Bielsa, which bodes well for Howe’s high-tempo style. However, Newcastle face stiff competition for the loan capture of Phillips.
There is plenty of Premier League interest in the 27-year-old’s services, including from Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham, while Serie A giants Juventus have also entered the race recently.