Kalvin Phillips latest: Romano quashes Barcelona, Atletico links with Prem trio all ‘interested’ in loan | OneFootball

Kalvin Phillips is expected to leave Man City this month.

Barcelona are not in ‘concrete talks’ to sign Kalvin Phillips on loan from European champions Manchester City, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Phillips is expected to leave the Cityzens this month in a bid to secure a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad.

He has struggled for minutes since joining the club from Leeds United for £45million in 2022.

Displacing Rodri in the starting XI was always going to be very difficult, but even when the Spaniard is unavailable, Pep Guardiola has chosen to play other players over Phillips.

Rico Lewis and Manuel Akanji are among those Guardiola trusts more in the No. 6 role, which is alarming from Phillips’ point of view given the fact they are both defenders.

There is a lot of interest in signing Phillips, but some clubs are put off by City’s demands.

Guardiola’s side are reportedly hoping to receive a loan fee in the region of £8m, which clubs are understandably reluctant to pay given the fact they will only have the midfielder for six months.

On top of that, there is talk of City only agreeing to a deal that includes an obligation to buy at the end of the season.

Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and West Ham are among those in the Premier League looking at the possibility of signing the former Leeds favourite.

Tottenham are also in the picture for Phillips’ signature, while European giants Juventus reportedly ended their interest earlier this month.

There has been talk of La Liga giants Barcelona and Atletico Madrid being in discussions to sign Phillips on loan, however, transfer expert Romano has quashed those rumours.

Writing in his CaughtOffside column, Romano has said this deal is deemed pretty ‘expensive’ for Spanish clubs, with the 28-year-old’s future up to Man City as much as himself.

‘Despite new stories about interest from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in Kalvin Phillips, I’m not aware of concrete talks so far,’ Romano said.

‘This is an expensive loan for Spanish clubs with FFP limitations, so it’s a difficult one.

‘West Ham, Crystal Palace and Newcastle remain interested in the England midfielder. It’s also going to be up to Manchester City, not just the player side.’

Remaining in the Premier League probably gives Phillips a better chance of going to the European Championships with England anyway.

One player who has done their Euro 2024 no harm is Jordan Henderson, who is closing in on a move from Al Ettifaq to Dutch giants Ajax.

He did not fall out of favour under Gareth Southgate after making the controversial move to Saudi Arabia in the summer, so signing for Ajax will make him a shoo-in for this summer’s tournament.

Manchester City Kalvin Phillips