Kalvin Phillips loan exit looms as Barcelona already have £30m Man City plan prepared
Aston Villa have reportedly made an offer for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, a day after he asked to leave the Cityzens.
The 28-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham in search of regular game time but failed to breakthrough under David Moyes, after suffering a torrid time at the Etihad Stadium since his arrival from Leeds United two years ago.
It’s believed that both City and Phillips would prefer a permanent exit but Villa have sent in a loan offer after already bolstering Unai Emery’s midfield this summer. The money secured by the sale of Douglas Luiz was put straight into signing his replacement in Everton star Amadou Onana, who arrived at Villa Park for £50m.
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According to Football Insider, Phillips has asked to leave City having struggled to settle and could find a new lease of life in his career with the Villains who have secured their first season of Champions League football since the early 1980s after last season’s impressive fourth-place finish.
Elsewhere, Joao Cancelo’s bid for an exit to Barcelona may take a hit as Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo have claimed that Hansi Flick’s side aren’t set to go all out for the City star. Having spent last season on loan at the La Liga giants, the Portuguese full-back is said to be of interest to a number of Saudi Pro League teams but Cancelo himself only has eyes of Barcelona.
Having already agreed personal terms with the club, City are hoping to secure a permanent exit for the 30-year-old, who is valued at around £30m, but Barcelona aren’t prepared to ‘anything crazy’ in order to secure him for the upcoming campaign.
In the event they fail to get the star this summer, they have already thought out a plan for the right-back position, with Flick reportedly more than willing to put his faith in Julian Araujo, Hector Fort and Jules Kounde in case the club fail to re-sign Cancelo this summer.
Finally, Man City may feel the need to find further depth in the goalkeeper position this summer with the potential departure of first-choice Ederson to the Saudi Pro League. It’s been claimed that the door has been opened to the Brazilian to leave the Etihad after a massive offer for his services.
With only Stefan Ortega and Scott Carson as the two shot-stoppers currently on the club’s books, it’s now claimed that Pep Guardiola’s side may have to dip into the market this summer in order to shore up that area of the pitch but the report from Football Insider claims that Ortega would still be selected as the number one choice going into the 2024/25 campaign.