Aston Villa are interested in making a big-money move for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips this summer, according to a new transfer update.
How has Phillips fared at Man City?
The 27-year-old joined the reigning Premier League champions last summer in what looked like an effective signing. He had starred for Leeds United in the years prior, helping them return to the top flight in 2020 and also became a key man for England alongside Declan Rice in the middle of the park.
Phillips' first season at the Etihad has been something of a disaster, however, with injuries curtailing his progress hugely, limiting him to just 65 minutes of league action spread across six appearances. He may also be finding it tough to adapt to Pep Guardiola's tactical demands, with the manager even calling him out earlier in the campaign, so it is difficult to see him featuring too much between now and the end of the season.
It could even be that the £150k-per-week Englishman is allowed to leave City after just one year at the club – which is where Villa come into play.
Could Villa sign Kalvin Phillips this summer?
According to Football Insider, the Villans are keen on bringing in Phillips over the summer as they look to make a significant midfield addition. It is claimed that Unai Emery "wants to add a top-class signing capable of running the midfield" and believes that the former Leeds star is exactly what he is looking for.
City would demand £45m for Phillips' services, which would surpass the £42m they paid for him last summer.
Granted, this has been a tough year for Phillips, who would have hoped to go up another gear in a City shirt, but he could still be an outstanding signing for Villa this summer. When fit and firing, we believe he possesses the quality to make Emery's side more formidable moving forward, enjoying a 93.3% pass completion rate in the league this season – albeit with a limited amount of playing time.
Meanwhile, as a regular at Leeds last season, he averaged 2.7 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per Premier League game – both values which would top the rankings among City's current squad (as per WhoScored).
At 27, he is also at a good age to come in and be a key figure at Villa for a number of years, while he has been hailed as "superb" by midfield legend Xavi, which is extremely high praise. Therefore, if City are willing to let him go, we think Villa should jump at the chance to sign him in what could be an inspired piece of transfer business.