Liverpool target ‘does not want to leave Man City’ as player edges closer to Barca after Pep ‘bust-up’ | OneFootball

Kalvin Phillips, Jack Grealish and James McAtee during a training session.

According to reports, Kalvin Phillips does not want to leave Manchester City this summer despite a lack of opportunities under Pep Guardiola.

Phillips joined City from Leeds United for £45million last summer.

Game time was very hard to come by in his maiden season at the club, however. He only featured in 21 of the Cityzens’ 61 fixtures in 2022/23, starting four of them.

The former Leeds midfielder has been linked with West Ham United and Liverpool this summer but is reportedly unwilling to leave City after a year.

Dislodging Rodri from Guardiola’s starting XI has proven to be an impossible task for Phillips, who has struggled for more minutes in midfield than Manuel Akanji, Rico Lewis and John Stones, who are all naturally defenders.

Phillips clearly thinks he can take his chance this term as he is reluctant to move on, according to Daily Mail journalist Jack Gaughan.

Answering a question about the England midfielder in a Q&A forum, Gaughan said he is looking to fight for Rodri’s place as City’s No. 6.

“The latest on Kalvin Phillips is much the same: he doesn’t want to leave Man City,” Gaughan said. “He’s got a long contract and has said he wants to fight for that place.

“Whether he is given that opportunity is another matter entirely, he’s not played a single minute so far this season and saw youngsters come on ahead of him as they cruised at Burnley.

“He might have some big decisions to make in the near future. And beyond that, obviously the Euros are coming up next year, so does his thinking change in January?”

One City player who does want to leave and is expected to get their wish is full-back Joao Cancelo.

and Gaughan says the deal is expected to include an option to buy.

“Cancelo’s on his way out,” he claimed. “It was slightly surprising to those of us on tour that he featured in all three friendlies given the bust-up with Guardiola last season.

“There will be an option to buy in a loan deal; you’d assume City will be pushing for that to become an obligation instead.”