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Manchester City 'open to cut-price summer sale of international midfielder'

Man City 'open to cut-price sale of international midfielder'
© Reuters
Manchester City are reportedly ready to accept a cut-price fee of £30m to let midfielder Kalvin Phillips - on loan at West Ham United - depart this summer.

Manchester City are reportedly ready to accept a cut-price fee of £30m to let midfielder Kalvin Phillips depart this summer.

The 28-year-old was reduced to just five starts and 26 substitute outings in all competitions during his first 18 months at the Etihad Stadium before joining West Ham United on loan in January.

Phillips was hoping to further his career by becoming a first-team regular with the Citizens following his £42m switch from boyhood club Leeds United, but he admitted earlier this year that he felt "useless" under Pep Guardiola.

In a bid to reignite his career, Phillips planned to gain regular first-team football at West Ham in the second half of this season, but he has struggled to reach the heights expected at the London Stadium and has subsequently lost his place in the England squad ahead of Euro 2024.

Phillips has failed to impress across three starts and five substitute outings for the Hammers, most recently giving away a second-half penalty not long after coming off the bench in a 4-3 defeat at Newcastle United last weekend.

West Ham United's Kalvin Phillips reacts on February 1, 2024© Reuters

David Moyes urges West Ham fans to get behind Kalvin Phillips

Phillips's performances have led to widespread criticism from the West Ham fanbase, and the midfielder was captured giving a middle-finger gesture towards a small group of unhappy supporters as he boarded the team bus following the defeat at Newcastle.

West Ham manager David Moyes has refused to condemn Phillips's actions and has instead encouraged the club's supporters to get behind the under-fire midfielder.

"Kalvin's a human being and can do things which we all do at difficult times," the Scotsman told reporters ahead of West Ham's encounter with Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday.

"What he needs is support behind him, people to help him and we're going to stand with him and help him as much as we possibly can. Obviously we need all our supporters to give all our players, whoever it is, their support."

Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips during the warm up before the match on October 29, 2023© Reuters

Man City set Kalvin Phillips asking price

It remains to be seen whether West Ham will look to sign Phillips on a permanent basis in the summer, but the Daily Mail reports that Man City are planning to offload the midfielder, even though he still has over four years remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium.

The report adds that the reigning Premier League champions have reduced their asking price for the Englishman to £30m, with former club Leeds said to be among the teams interested in his services.

A potential return to Elland Road could gather pace if Leeds successfully secure promotion from the Championship at the first attempt – Daniel Farke's side currently sit second in the table with only six games left to play.

Phillips was born in Leeds and spent seven years as a senior player at the West Yorkshire outfit, making a total of 234 appearances across all competitions.

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