Newcastle, Everton on red alert with Pep Guardiola tipped to offload Man City star in January | OneFootball

Manchester City duo John Stones and Kalvin Phillips line up for England

Newcastle and Everton are reportedly interested in signing Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who could be made available for loan in January.

The England international left Leeds United for the Etihad for £42m in July 2022, but due to injuries and competition for starting spots, he has made just 26 appearances for Man City, only four of which have been starts.

This is in stark contrast to Phillips’ time with Leeds, where he made 234 appearances, scoring 14 goals and making 13 assists. At one point, he was considered to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

The 27-year-old remains a key part of the England squad despite his lack of playing time, which shows that Gareth Southgate still rates him highly.

Now, according to iNews, Man City are ‘increasingly likely to part ways with Kalvin Phillips in January’ after Pep Guardiola’s ‘latest glaring snub’ of the former Leeds man.

With Rodri suspended for the Cityzen’s crucial clash against Arsenal on Sunday, the natural move would have been for Phillips to step in.

However, Guardiola opted to start 18-year-old Rico Lewis, who is naturally a full-back, in a midfield role at the Emirates. Man City went on to lose the game 1-0, and now find themselves in third place in the table heading into the international break.

The fact that Lewis was picked over Phillips tells its own story, so a loan in January could be the best thing for him.

As noted by iNews, there was plenty of interest in Phillips in the summer and that is unlikely to have gone away. They note that Newcastle made an enquiry about signing him early in the summer window, and could reignite their interest.

Eddie Howe is looking to bring in competition for the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff and Sandro Tonali and is thought to be an admirer of Phillips’, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Magpies come in for him again.

Everton, on the other hand, ‘accessed the viability’ of a loan move for the midfielder in the summer and if the proposed 777 Partners takeover is completed at Goodison Park, it is a move that could ‘potentially be revisited.’

Sean Dyche is thought to be keen on bringing in a new midfielder this winter. James Garner has been in excellent form recently, while Amadou Onana has also put in some good performances.

Idrissa Gana Gueye has been somewhat inconsistent, though, and Everton could lose him for a period when the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in mid-January. He is a key player for Senegal.

Abdoulaye Doucoure, who is one of the Toffees’ most important players, will also take part in the competition for Mali.

With that in mind, bringing in a Premier League proven midfielder like Phillips could be a smart move for Everton.