Newcastle United look likely to be an option for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips in the January transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano in his Daily Briefing column.
Phillips has struggled for playing time since joining Man City from Leeds United last season, though he did well to pick up winners’ medals in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in City’s historic treble-winning campaign.
Now the England international might feel it’s worth moving on in order to play more regularly, and Romano has tipped Newcastle and Juventus as potential options for him this winter.
Phillips is seemingly not in a hurry to decide just yet, but it seems this will be one to watch for January, especially once it’s clearer what will be happening with Newcastle in Europe, as their transfer plans could be impacted by whether or not they’re still in the Champions League by then.
“Speaking to sources in the last two or three days, Kalvin Phillips’ future is still not decided, because they want to take their time. It’s a similar situation to Jadon Sancho, because clubs have to wait a bit longer before being certain of their plans,” Romano said.
“Newcastle, for example, will be in the market for a midfielder to replace the suspended Sandro Tonali, and Phillips is a player they appreciate, but before deciding how much they have to spend this January, it will be crucial for them to understand if they will still be in the Champions League, or the Europa League, or out of Europe. They’re in a very close group so let’s see what will happen there.
“Phillips will likely have multiple options – Newcastle is one of them, but there will also be other opportunities. Juventus want a midfielder and are aware of Phillips’ situation, but they have not started concrete talks yet – they have not contacted Phillips’ agent, they are just aware of the situation.”