West Ham United could offer a sensational swap deal for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips which will include Declan Rice.
According to a report via Caught Offside, Declan Rice could be offered to Manchester City as West Ham United are very keen to renew their interest in Kalvin Phillips.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Phillips since his multi-million-pound move to the defending champions this summer. He has been limited to just one minute of Premier League experience as Pep Guardiola publicly declared the midfielder was overweight following his return to the club after the World Cup.
Phillips is now facing an uncertain future and the Hammers could come to his rescue as the London giants are contemplating making an offer for the player. They are destined to lose Rice next summer while Tomas Soucek has struggled for consistency paving the way for another combative presence in the midfield.
City initially paid £42 million for the 27-year-old but he has drastically fallen in the pecking order. ExWHUEmployee insisted the club could consider offering another player alongside Rice to entice Phillips to the London Stadium.
“They’ve been talking about Kalvin Phillips again in the press.
“Kalvin Phillips is someone that West Ham, David Moyes especially, 100% rates. I know categorically, factually, that we spoke about signing him in the summer and in January before that, that we really, really wanted [him].
“I get the feeling that patience is running thin with him and I’ve always said that it wouldn’t surprise me if Man City were to offer Phillips in exchange for Rice at the end of the season.
“I wouldn’t even be surprised if they chucked in another player potentially, but I can’t name them now. Another fringe player possibly into that deal to try and tempt West Ham.”
Arsenal are also believed to be interested in Rice but a deal in January seems very unlikely. The Gunners will have to take a stock of the current situation but West Ham could intensify their efforts in the next few days.
Man City: Guardiola ‘likes’ £100m Rafael Leao alternative at the Etihad
Manchester City ‘like’ Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka alongside AC Milan attacker Rafael Leao, journalist Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport.
The Cityzens have been credited with an interest in both Saka and Leao in recent months with both players entering the final 18 months of their respective contracts.
Manchester City transfer news – Bukayo Saka
City are not afraid to change up their first-team squad and Bernardo Silva has openly admitted that his ambition is to ‘move to a new project’ if an appealing offer arrives.
“I won’t hide that my goal in recent years, if something good happens elsewhere, will probably be to move to a new project,” the Portugal international told Record (via Fabrizio Romano).
Back in June, the Daily Mail claimed that both the Cityzens and Liverpool were closely monitoring Saka’s situation after earmarking him as a potential future target.
And the 21-year-old is not the only wide man on Pep Guardiola’s radar with Italian outlet Calciomercato crediting City with an interest in Leao.
The 6 foot 2 forward is still locked in contract negotiations with Milan, though, while Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are also believed to be among his potential suitors.
What has Jones said about Saka?
Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling made way for Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland over the summer, and Guardiola could oversee another changing of the guard imminently.
Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know
Jones believes that ‘at least one’ City attacker will seek pastures new soon and that both Saka and Leao are candidates to replace whoever departs.
He said: “At least one will move on, and when that happens, we’ll have to see. We know that Saka is somebody that they like. So, it would make sense that Leao is too.”
Would Saka be a good signing?
Saka, who is valued at around £100 million, has established himself as one of English football’s most promising talents over the last couple of campaigns.
The youngster has registered seven goals and six assists in 22 appearances across all competitions so far this season, building on his 19 goal contributions in 43 outings last term.
As per WhoScored, Saka has also averaged 2.1 key passes, 1.3 dribbles, and 1.3 crosses per top-flight fixture in 2022/23, placing him in the top three for each metric amongst his teammates.
City’s lure could be enough to tempt Saka away from his boyhood club, but with Arsenal sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League, snapping up their best players will not be as easy as it once was.
Source: thehardtackle.com; givemesport.com
