According to sources, Newcastle United is “confident” that they can beat Everton to sign a highly sought-after midfield player.
Fabrizio Romano says that the Toffees are big fans of Kalvin Phillips, an out-of-favour midfielder for Manchester City who is anticipated to make a move in January.
In the middle of the park, Everton presently has players like Amadou Onana, Idrissa Gueye, Andre Gomes, and Abdoulaye Doucoure at their disposal. However, it’s believed that Sean Dyche was eager to bring Phillips into the fold to increase the depth of the team’s roster as they fight relegation.
When Phillips came out of the Leeds United academy in 2014, he became well-known. The midfielder, who was born in Yorkshire, was a mainstay for the Championship team for a number of years before Marcelo Bielsa’s hiring turned him into one of the league’s best players.
The 28-year-old played a major role in Leeds’ promotion during the 2019–20 season, and he continued to play a regular role in the top division as the team avoided relegation the next two seasons. He received notice on a global scale for his amazing form, and in 2021 he established himself as a fixture at the European Championships. Because of his performance in the competition, Phillips helped England reach their first-ever Euro final. In 2021, the Yorkshire-born midfielder was named England’s Player of the Year.
Despite spending £42 million to join Manchester City, Phillips has only made sporadic appearances for Pep Guardiola’s squad in his 18 months there. He has only played in 16 league games overall, and almost all of those came off the substitute bench. He has only played 89 minutes overall this season due to his struggles, which has hurt his chances of being included in Gareth Southgate’s final Euro 2024 squad.
The Telegraph claims that Newcastle United is the front-runner to sign Phillips. The source goes on to say that Eddie Howe’s team is “confident” about finishing the first loan transaction. Everton may still try to sign the player, and Crystal Palace and Juventus are rumored to be interested in Phillip assistance.
