Barcelona have reportedly entered the race for the services of Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips, who is also on the radar of Newcastle United and Juventus.
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Barcelona will reportedly provide stiff competition to Newcastle United and Juventus in the race to sign Manchester City fringe star Kalvin Phillips this January.
Phillips is expected to leave the Etihad next month in search of regular first-team football to ensure that he is in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024, having been unable to force his way into Pep Guardiola’s side in the 18 months since his £42 million switch from Leeds.
The England star has started just one of his eight Manchester City appearances this season, and Guardiola has refrained from ruling out a mid-season exit for the England international, who has played just over 90 Premier League minutes across four appearances this term. The Catalan boss recently apologised to the 28-year-old for not playing him as frequently as he would have liked.
Newcastle United have been credited with an interest in the former Leeds United man as they search for a temporary replacement for Sandro Tonali amid his 10-month ban, while Bayern Munich have also been linked with a possible move.
Juventus’ are also working hard to bring the Englishman to Turin to boost their Serie A title charge and have opened talks with the Citizens over a potential move, with the player believed to be open to a new experience and expected to welcome a move to Serie A. However, the Old Lady continues to struggle to balance the books, so they would not be able to afford anything more than a loan at this stage.
Now, as per Fichajes, Barcelona have thrown their hat into the ring at the last minute. Like Juve, Barcelona find themselves in a tricky situation heading into the winter transfer window, as there is a clear need for reinforcements in the squad, but the Financial Fair Play situation does not necessarily allow for it.
But the Blaugrana are considering several strategies to generate FFP wiggle room for January so that they can register Vitor Roque and sign another midfielder to replace Gavi without any issues. Having already managed to sign Joao Cancelo on loan from City in the summer, they could try to repeat the trick for Phillips.