TalkSPORT pundit Alex Crook has claimed that there is one big issue with Newcastle United’s pursuit of a key target in January.
Newcastle’s January window just keeps on getting more and more complicated as it now looks like they won’t even be able to afford to sign Kalvin Phillips this month.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Crook suggested that Newcastle would be unwilling to pay the £5-7m fee that Manchester City are demanding to loan out Phillips for the rest of the season.
Newcastle don’t have the funds to make big money signings
Phillips was identified as priority number one for this January window but that move now looks to be in doubt with Newcastle struggling to stump the cash to take him on temporarily.
It says an awful lot about Newcastle’s current financial position and it will certainly worry a lot of supporters who were expecting the club to make some important moves this month.
The team have been crying out for a defensive midfielder like Phillips for months now as the defence looks to be leaking goals for fun, so this move should surely be ahead of any other deal.
But, as Crook claims, there just isn’t enough money to afford the loan fee, so it makes you wonder if there is actually any room in the budget to make any signings in January.
On the show, Crook said: “I think he will move but this is one that might rumble on until the end of the transfer window.
“I think Man City have made their stance pretty clear, they’re open to offers for Kalvin Phillips but they do want a fairly substantial loan fee, anywhere between £5-7m, the figures that are being quoted.
“They also want an obligation at this stage that whoever loans Kalvin Phillips will sign him permanently in the summer for somewhere near what they paid Leeds United.
“At the moment, that’s proving an issue for Newcastle because we know they’re desperate to stay on the right of the Premier League financial rules, I’m not even sure they can afford the loan fee at this moment in time, let alone commit to signing him permanently.
“So, that does open the door for other clubs. I mentioned Fulham much earlier last year as a potential destination for Phillips.
“Liverpool were showing interest in the summer as well, they may because of how well their midfield rebuild has gelled they may not revisit that.
“Let’s keep an eye on it, but both Kalvin Phillips and Man City are both keen to come to an agreement that sees him leave the football club.”
Newcastle don’t want to take Phillips permanently
Another issue that this deal poses is the fact that Manchester City would like to offload the 28-year-old permanently with an obligation to buy included in the loan move.
However, this again isn’t something that Newcastle are too keen on. By August Sandro Tonali will have completed his suspension and can return to the team’s midfield, so Phillips may be pushed out of the team anyway.
With other teams like Juventus, Fulham and Crystal Palace also monitoring the midfielder’s situation, Newcastle will either have to bite the bullet on the loan fee or risk losing out on their biggest target this month.
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