Journalist Ben Jacobs has made the claim that Newcastle United may not be the frontrunners for Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips despite previous reports.
For a while now it looked like Phillip’s transfer from Man City to Newcastle would almost be a formality given that all parties are interested in a move, but it may not be so simple.
In an interview with GiveMeSport, Jacobs claimed that he’s not sure if Newcastle are still the frontrunners for Phillips’ signature after crashing out of the Champions League last week.
Newcastle have competition for Phillips in January
Newcastle are not the only team who are looking to add to their midfield depth in the upcoming window as Juventus also look ready to pounce on the Man City man.
Phillips has been clear that he wants out of Man City and Newcastle have always seemed like the obvious answer given that they are light in midfield due to Sandro Tonali’s lengthy suspension.
Things are not so straightforward, however, as there is still competition for the 28-year-old who is undecided on where his next move may be, but he is certainly open to the option of moving abroad.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs said: “I think that Phillips is looking for game time, and whoever can offer him game time helps Phillips ahead of Euro 2024 and that’s the priority for the player to play. And other than that, I think that there’s no major consideration.
“Of course, he can go somewhere and play European football, but that’s not Newcastle in the second half of the season. It’s a bonus. And I’m not so sure contrary to some reports that it’s suddenly Newcastle as front runner.
“Newcastle have always been there, and Newcastle are looking for Tonali cover. And if Tonali agrees to a wage cut, then Newcastle can move a bit more freely. Otherwise, Newcastle are going to have a very quiet January, and probably will only consider loans.”
Newcastle could be in a for a ‘quiet’ January window
The expectation for Newcastle is that they will go all out for new players in the winter window, but that may not be the case as we edge closer and closer towards the new year.
Newcastle have struggled to deal with FFP restrictions basically since the takeover was completed in October 2021 and they are still causing them problems to this day.
Instead of big money signings to support or replace all of the injured players at the club, Newcastle could be more likely to explore the loan market and bringing players in for relatively cheap fees.
A permanent move for City’s Phillips is still on the cards, but again a loan move may be more suited to Newcastle who will also want to bring in other options.
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