Newcastle United and Real Madrid have reportedly emerged as likely candidates to end England midfielder Kalvin Phillips’ frustrating time at Manchester City.
According to TuttoJuve, Newcastle United and Real Madrid are currently the front-runners to sign out-of-favour Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips on loan in the upcoming January transfer window.
The 27-year-old England international future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks as he struggles to find a regular place in Pep Guardiola’s side.
Phillips left his boyhood club Leeds United to join Manchester City in a £42 million move during the summer of 2022. He made the switch to try and take his game to the next level, while also putting himself in with a great shout of winning major silverware.
While City have won trophies such as the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup during Phillips’ time at the Etihad, the defensive midfielder has barely made an impact.
He has failed to get into the City team ahead of Rodri, who is currently often regarded as the best holding midfielder in the world. As such, the Englishman has managed just 215 minutes of football so far this term, which works out to less than three full matches.
Plenty of Premier League clubs are monitoring Phillips’ situation, as they know he is desperate to secure a move and play elsewhere to secure his place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for next summer’s Euro 2024.
Newcastle United reportedly hold the strongest interest in securing Phillips’ services after losing Sandro Tonali to a 10-month betting ban, and there have been suggestions City would be open to discussing a loan deal in the new year, although the Sky Blues’ may insist on including an option or obligation to buy.
Magpies’ boss Eddie Howe has identified defensive midfield as a position he would ideally like to strengthen in January. Although the club are reasonably well-stocked numerically in the central area, the vast majority of their central midfielders want to get on the front foot and break forward.
Bruno Guimaraes has been playing as the deepest-lying of Newcastle’s midfield three since the start of last season, but although the Brazilian has performed impressively in the role, it is not really his preferred position.
However, it is no longer guaranteed that the player will remain in England after departing City. Reports coming from Italy suggest Real Madrid are among the frontrunners in the race for Phillips’ signature.
Real Madrid have arguably the best midfield department on the planet right now. Having said that, there is uncertainty about the future of some of them. It feels unlikely that Luka Modric, now 38 years of age and struggling for starts, will stay beyond this season.
The likes of Toni Kroos and Dani Ceballos have been linked with moves away as well. If there are one or multiple exits from Real Madrid’s midfield in the future, the club may contemplate making an acquisition in that position.
Still, it is hard to see Phillips’ having anything more than a squad player role at the Bernabeu amid stiff competition from the likes of Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Eduardo Camavinga.