Kalvin Phillips has emerged as another transfer possibility as Liverpool look to overhaul their midfield in the summer.
The Leeds United academy graduate made a move to Premier League champions Man City in the summer in the vicinity of £50 million.
With club stalwart Fernandinho moving on, it was thought that Phillips was the perfect replacement.
Pep Guardiola had spoken to Marcelo Bielsa when Phillips was making big strides in the championship and the Argentinian who has vast experience and a eye for talent had little doubt he could go to another level.
(Bielsa said) "There is a guy who is really, really good, maybe not now but maybe one day he can play in the top teams."
However Guardiola’s words relating to Phillips back in August have been far from the reality.
“We don’t have doubts, he is a national-team England player, makes an incredible improvement as a player. “He was working with Marcelo Bielsa, he’s British, that helps the Premier League a lot, too.. I am sure he is going to adapt.
The England international who had a wretched 2021/22 season due to a serious Hamstring injury, suffered a shoulder injury in September and it derailed any possible momentum he was hoping to build at his new club.
Then after the conclusion of the World Cup where he was largely on the periphery, Phillips reportedly enjoyed the excesses of a break in New York a little too much and on his return the manager was not pleased with his fitness levels.
“ He's not injured, he came in overweight. He was not fit enough to train and play” Guardiola said prior to the Premier League resumption in late December.
Since then it has a case of Phillips on the outside looking in as Rodri has been largely preferred in the holding role and the 27 year-old has made just 16 appearances for the club with no starts coming in the league.
It has led to speculation that Phillips is indeed not the right fit for Man City and there is no coming back for him leading to talk that he will depart much sooner than expected and possibly for a cut-price fee.
The Mirror (per The Star) report that Liverpool have let it be known Phillips is on their radar - and he is open to a move to Anfield with a deal mooted to be £35 million.
West Ham have also been linked but it is believed that Phillips would prefer a move to the Reds who were also linked with him prior to his move to City.
There has been discussion over the future of Fabinho with the Brazilian who at his best has been one of the first picked in Jurgen Klopps’s midfield but has suffered from a significant dip of form during this campaign during this campaign.
While Phillips would add quality and not eat into the budget too much, he turns 28 in December and has a history of long injury absences.
And in a team that has to prioritise getting healthier and younger, it has all the makings of a non-starter.
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