West Ham are now ‘pushing’ to sign 28-year-old player who wants to join Newcastle this month

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Once upon a time, it looked like Kalvin Phillips would be leaving Manchester City and signing for Newcastle United on loan.

There was initially confidence that the Magpies would be able to sign the England international, while it has been widely reported that the man himself is interested in moving to the North East and playing in black and white for Eddie Howe.

But that now looks unlikely. Newcastle have cooled their interest in the 28-year-old due to Man City’s financial demands, while it is unclear if the club will actually be able to sign anyone during the January transfer window.

For Phillips, he needs to go somewhere. He has to get a move away from the Etihad Stadium, whether it is to Tyneside or somewhere else. And the latest update from Fabrizio Romano suggests that it will indeed be somewhere else.

Fabrizio Romano shares Kalvin Phillips update

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has taken to his official X account to provide an update on Kalvin Phillips‘ future at Manchester City.

He wrote: “Barcelona have not approached Man City for Kalvin Phillips so far, despite reports. Loan deal considered too expensive at current conditions. West Ham are still working and pushing for loan deal, waiting for Kalvin to make his decision.”

Newcastle look likely to miss out on Kalvin Phillips

So it is West Ham who are pushing to sign Phillips right now, which could give the midfielder the chance to remain in the Premier League.

If he does make the move to the London Stadium, it will be interesting to see how he performs. It could serve as an immediate reminder that Newcastle made a mistake in not biting the bullet and bringing him to Tyneside.

But there still appears to be work to do on this deal. Nothing seems to be imminent, although it does look like Phillips’ future will be decided this week.

Newcastle are looking elsewhere with the likes of Amadou Onana linked, and he would be a much better addition to Eddie Howe’s squad. However, even a deal for the Everton ace will be challenging, as Newcastle brace themselves for an incredibly difficult final week of the window.