Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips attracting interest from Premier League rivals

West Ham have become interested in Manchester City’s 2021 summer signing Kalvin Phillips, according to a new report this week.

During the previous summer transfer window, and fresh off the heels of winning their fourth Premier League title in five years, Manchester City went on a spending spree as a way of bolstering their squad for seasons to come.

While Erling Haaland’s £51 million deal from Borussia Dortmund was unsurprisingly the major talking point for the opening weeks of the window, Etihad officials had another deal to make as they signed Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United for £45 million in July.

The now former Elland Road midfielder found his way onto the pitch for Manchester City’s pre-season games, as well as the closing minutes of their season opener against West Ham. All was looking right until the England international suffered a dislocated shoulder during a friendly against Barcelona in late August, which would go onto sideline him until November following subsequent surgery.

Kalvin Phillips miraculously received a call-up from England manager Gareth Southgate for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar – a tournament in which he would receive 42 minutes of play across two matches – thanks to a meticulously planned recovery process.

However, upon returning to the Etihad club’s training complex, Pep Guardiola excluded in from first-team training, describing the Yorkshire-born midfielder as “overweight”, and despite returning to the squad in recent post-World Cup matches, Kalvin Phillips is yet to receive any gametime.

As the Englishman struggles to make his way into the Catalan’s plans this season, West Ham United have now become interested in acquiring the midfielder in the coming months, according to a report from Football Insider.

The Hammers were originally interested in Kalvin Phillips during last year’s January transfer window, going so far as to make a £50 million bid, although this time their bid may be lower after the player’s recent struggles.

West Ham officials could see Phillips as a solution for the potential exit of fellow Three Lions midfielder Declan Rice, who has turned down numerous offers to stay at London Stadium, and has been linked with a high-profile switch to Chelsea.

This latest transfer rumour comes at a difficult time for David Moyes’ side, who currently sit on the cusp of a relegation battle in the Premier League with just 14 points to their name, and their last win coming in late October against Bournemouth.