Newcastle United may be forced to shell out an eye-watering £57million to sign Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City, according to reports. The England midfielder has been used sparingly by Pep Guardiola since his move to the Etihad Stadium, but Newcastle’s attempts to remain within Financial Fair Play (FFP) limitations may end up costing them extra.
Phillips has not started a single Premier League game for City this season. Even when midfield talisman Rodri was forced to miss matches, Guardiola turned to alternative options and left Phillips to collect dust on the bench.
The 28-year-old is widely expected to move on in January, with Gareth Southgate months away from naming his England squad for Euro 2024. Newcastle are among the sides heavily linked with the former Leeds United midfielder.
But for the Toon to manage their finances, they are likely to pursue an initial loan deal before looking to make the move permanent at the end of the season.
According to Sports Lens, taking Phillips on a temporary basis for the remainder of the campaign would set Newcastle back around £7million, while a permanent deal in the summer could reach a painful £50m, leading to a £57m total outlay.
City would surely be over the moon to make a profit on the midfielder, who they prised away from Elland Road in a £45m deal 18 months ago. Newcastle are unlikely to get a free run at Phillips, however, with Juventus also rumoured to be in the hunt.
“That’s what I want to do. I have agreed with Gareth on that. I want to play football and want to play as much as possible. Over the last year and a half I haven’t been able to do that due to injuries and [other factors].
“It’s something I am going to have to think about. Hopefully my chance does come but if it doesn’t then I will have to make other decisions as well.”
