5
Manchester United’s midfield suffered as a result of long-term injuries and suspension issues last season, something manager Erik ten Hag is desperate to change.
The club are open to selling much-maligned pair of Scott McTominay and Fred while loan signing Marcel Sabitzer is heading back to Bayern Munich.
Christian Eriksen suffered from injury and struggled to match the intensity of the opposition in the big games while Donny van de Beek looks set to end his Old Trafford nightmare.
Phillips has struggled at City
So far, United’s moves in the market have not borne fruit with three bids rejected for Chelsea’s Mason Mount while soon-to-be free agent Adrien Rabiot has reportedly agreed a new contract with Juventus.
Fichajes have now come up with the transfer rumour of the summer, claiming that Ten Hag has greenlit an approach for Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips.
During his Leeds days, the club had tried to sign him only for the player to sign for their city rivals.
The Englishman hardly featured for Pep Guardiola’s side in their Treble-winning season, starting only four games and incidentally, City lost two of those games.
The 27-year-old had impressed back when he was a Leeds United player but since his €49million move to Manchester, Phillips has been more than happy to sit on the bench.
“Despite being one of the great signings of Manchester City at the time, Kalvin Phillips has not finished having the desired impact at the Etihad Stadium under the orders of a Pep Guardiola.
“Precisely that lack of minutes regularly has sparked all kinds of rumors including a possible transfer to Manchester United that would be very interested in taking over the services of the 27-year-old British footballer, being willing to put on the table an offer that would be around 40 million euros, thus Manchester City recovering a large part of the investment made at the time.
“The signing of Kalvin Phillips would be requested by the Dutch coach Erik Ten Hag , who would be convinced of being able to bring out the best version of the English footballer at Old Trafford.”
Phillips an unlikely choice
Despite his lack of minutes at club level, England manager Gareth Southgate has been more than happy to keep selecting him and the City man even made two appearances for the Three Lions in Qatar.
Phillips mainly plays as the defensive pivot but can also double up as the No 8 if required. Ten Hag is said to be confident that he can help the midfielder regain his old form that saw him earn a move to Manchester in the first place.
As per Transfermarkt, the England international is valued at €32million and has a contract that is valid until 2028. However, considering his lack of minutes, United should not pay anywhere close to that aforementioned amount.
A lot of superior players can be purchased for less than the quoted fee and the fact that he is a current City star and a former Leeds United player makes this move look even more ludicrous.
