Kalvin Phillips offered Man City exit at Champions League club in potential England reunion - and it’s not Newcastle

Kalvin Phillips has struggled for game time since making the move from his boyhood club Leeds United to join Manchester City in the summer of 2022.

The 28-time England international has made a combined total of 15 Premier League appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side since his £42m arrival and many of those have come from the subs bench.

Phillip’s frustration has been amplified in recent weeks as he has been left on the fringes of City’s first team despite the absence of key midfielder Rodri, who typically occupies a starting spot.

Guardiola opted to play youngster Rico Lewis in the holding midfielder role for the recent defeat to Arsenal, which prompted pundit Roy Keane to claim that the Spainard doesn’t trust Phillips during a heated debate on the Stick To Football podcast.

The Yorkshire born midfielder remains in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the upcoming matches against Australia and Italy, but his status in the team has heavily dropped in recent months. This is due to his lack of first team action and many doubt whether he will make the final team for the European Championships in Germany next summer.

Phillips was an important player in England’s road to the final in the last edition in 2021 and he was even awarded the England Men’s Player of the Year award that same year. The midfielder is still determined to make the squad this summer and reports from a number of outlets claim that Man City are considering the prospect of loaning out the midfielder in January.

One of the frontrunners to sign Phillips, according to the Daily Mail, is German giants Bayern Munich. Thomas Tuchel’s side have a history of signing out of favour Man City stars on loan as they did with Joao Cancelo last year, while the move would also see Phillips reunite with one of his England team mates in Harry Kane.

Other potential suitors for Phillips could be fellow Premier League sides Newcastle United and Everton, according to reports. Newcastle are hoping to bulk out their midfield options to cope with the demands of European football.

Meanwhile Everton are another club in the market for a central player and Sean Dyche is expected to be backed in the winter window by the club’s new owners 777 Partners. Phillips has experience of successfully beating the drop with LeedsUnited and could offer vital experience and leadership to a struggling Toffees side.

Despite the rumours, however Fabrizio Romano has claimed in an interview with CaughtOffside that no team has started concrete talks with Phillips.

He said: “Kalvin Phillips - Despite links with Newcastle and Everton, I’m not aware of concrete talks on this one. Phillips wanted to stay at City this summer despite some approaches, so he’s still focused on doing his best for City and then a decision will be made later, like November or December. Newcastle won’t decide anything on transfer targets before they know what happens in their Champions League group.”