Everton are gaining in hope that a deal for Kalvin Phillips can be done this summer with the Man City midfielder to pick from four suitors – but only after an emotional return to former club Leeds United was ruled out.
The 28-year-old joined Man City from Leeds United for £43m in 2022 but he has played just 31 games for them and isn’t part of Pep Guardiola’s plans.
Phillips was loaned out to West Ham in January where he struggled for form and minutes, failing to rebuild his career and losing his spot in the England squad as a result.
Man City will try to offload Phillips again this summer and another loan looks the most likely outcome for him, with Everton in contact with the Cityzens over a potential deal.
We can confirm that Leeds United had a loan deal agreement in principle with Man City but that was dependent on them winning promotion to the Premier League – which they missed out on.
A report from Anthony Chapman claims that Phillips also has interest from elsewhere, with RB Leipzig in Germany, sister club RB Salzburg in Austria and Italian giants Roma all keeping tabs on his situation.
It’s claimed that the midfielder is ‘open to the idea of moving abroad’ but TEAMtalk understands that this is not the case – as his preference is to remain in the North of England.
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Everton growing in confidence they’ll Kalvin Phillips
Newcastle have previously been linked with signing Phillips but seem to have cooled their interest, making Everton the clear favourites to sign him on loan this summer.
The Man City outcast is keen to get his next move finalised as quickly as possible so he can get a full pre-season under his belt at his new club.
Sean Dyche has been an admirer of Phillips for many years and TEAMtalk sources say he believes he can get him back to his best at Goodison Park.
This is a move that in theory makes sense for all parties as the Toffees will have to bring in a replacement for Amadou Onana should he be sold this summer, as expected.
Reports suggest that several top European clubs including Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris-Saint Germain are interested in signing the Belgian international.
In terms of other potential Everton sales, Jarrad Branthwaite continues to be a top target for Manchester United but sources close to Everton have stated that they will not accept a cut-price fee for him.
Recent claims that the defender could move for as little as £40m are well wide of the mark and the Toffees intend to generate as much cash as possible from his sale.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has also been linked with a move to Newcastle and we understand that their interest in the striker is genuine.
However, as we exclusively revealed on Wednesday, Everton have ‘opened’ contract talks with Calvert-Lewin and have offered him a new deal.
The Toffees are doing everything they can to keep hold of the 27-year-old and the ball is now in his court, with his current contract expiring in the summer of 2025.
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