Everton are reportedly closing in on a loan move for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

The Toffees are looking to replace Amadou Onana after the Belgian recently joined Aston Villa in a deal worth a reported £50 million, and have identified Phillips, 28, as a realstic option to fill the void.

The 28-year-old has endured a tough two years at Manchester City. Despite featuring in the Sky Blues’ pre-season tour, the Englishman’s failure to provide Ballon d’Or contender Rodri with competition has prompted the six-time Premier League winners to listen to offers.

Everton favourites to agree Kalvin Phillips deal

Struggling during the second half of last season while on loan at West Ham, Phillips has seen his career slump to a new low.

Now with no chance of the Hammers signing him on permanently, Everton appears Phillips’ best option.

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Sean Dyche’s side, who are looking to beat Aston Villa to City’s number four, are unlikely to have the funds required to sign the £45 million midfielder outright and, according to Football Insider, are therefore discussing a possible loan deal.

The Merseyside club have so far made four summer signings but none match the calibre of Phillips.

Looking to prove he can hack it at a club continually competing in England’s top flight, Phillips, who still has four years left on his contract at the Etihad, knows the 2024-25 season will arguably be the most important of his career.

During his two years at Manchester City, the Leeds-born midfielder, who has been capped 31 times by England but failed to make the Three Lions’ squad for this summer’s EUROs, has managed just five Premier League starts. His only goal for Manchester City came during a 3-2 win against Crvena Zvezda in the group-stage of last season’s Champions League.

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The summer transfer window is in full swing and current Premier League champions, Man City, will be looking to do some business before the door slams shut on any deals at the end of August, according to CaughtOffside sources.

It’s often thought that the best time to strengthen a squad is when it’s at its best, rather than waiting until something isn’t quite right before looking to tweak that particular area.

Man City have been the masters of doing just that in the Pep Guardiola era, and thanks to their high quality of recruitment, it hasn’t mattered who has left the club, the squad as a whole hasn’t been weakened.

Man City’s Kalvin Phillips in demand

That’s also testament to Pep Guardiola knowing just when a player has become surplus to requirements.

One player that has never really won the confidence of his manager is England international midfielder, Kalvin Phillips.

After an incredibly poor loan spell at West Ham which ensured that the Hammers wouldn’t be taking up an option on him, Phillips might well be wondering what’s next, with England honours well out of the picture for now too.

CaughtOffside sources understand, however, that all of Juventus, Everton, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa are vying for his services.

Man City have set a price tag of between £30m/£35m for Phillips, and Guardiola has given his approval for the 28-year-old to leave if the right offer comes in.

Aston Villa’s Unai Emery has apparently asked for the club to press ahead with a loan transfer  without a compulsory purchase option as a matter of priority, but it’s unknown at this point whether City would accede to the same.

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Everton have already held talks with Philips’ agents, with CaughtOffisde sources having been told that the club are considering Phillips as their replacement for Amadou Onana.

They too are only are prepared to make a loan offer to City at this stage, with the difference being any offer will have a permanent purchase option.

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Aston Villa have shown the most ambition of all the Premier League teams in the summer transfer window.

They have managed to make a number of signings this summer with the prominent signings being Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen.

Unai Emery has taken the Premier League club to the Champions League and now in order to compete against the best teams of Europe, they are ready to invest heavily in their squad.

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa have made a loan offer for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

The English midfielder has struggled during his time with the Premier League champions.

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He joined West Ham United on loan in January and his move to the London Stadium failed miserably.

There were rumours of him joining Leeds United this summer but their failure to get promoted made it financially difficult for the Championship club to afford the midfielder.

Now, Emery wants the Man City outcast at Villa Park this summer to strengthen his midfield after the departure of Douglas Luiz who has joined Aston Villa.

Although the Premier League giants would want a permanent move for Phillips this summer but they are happier to let the midfielder leave the club even in a loan move.

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This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

Calafiori set for Arsenal medical, then focus on Merino transfer

It’s finally Riccardo Calafiori time for Arsenal – the player is in London, everything is okay between Arsenal and Bologna in terms of exchanging and sending all the documents, they are signing the contracts, and then Calafiori will have his medical in London.

Calafiori will then travel to the US to link up with Mikel Arteta’s squad and sign his contract until 2029, with no option for a further season beyond that. He’s set to earn €4m a season as a new Arsenal player, it’s all set to go through.

After that, Arsenal will focus on Mikel Merino. Arsenal have been having conversations on the player side and they are prepared to attack the situation on the club side as well once they’ve completed the formal part of the Calafiori deal. There’s still no official bid from Arsenal to Real Sociedad, while we also know about interest from Spanish clubs Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Still, Arsenal are preparing their move, with Merino remaining high on the Gunners’ list as they prepare to focus on strengthening their midfield, though he’s not the only one being considered. Merino is one of the names they like, and then we’ll have to see how conversations with Real Sociedad will go.

Double ‘here we go’ for Chelsea!

It was a busy day for Chelsea yesterday, with a ‘here we go’ for two players – the first is for the present with the signing of goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal, while the second is a big talent for the future in Aaron Anselmino, who will join from Boca Juniors, though he’ll stay there on loan until at least January.

Jorgensen was also wanted by Marseille and Saudi clubs this summer, Inter Milan also considered him, but he’s going to Chelsea – deal done for €24.5m, with the Danish shot-stopper joining on a deal until 2031. He is now expected to be competition for Robert Sanchez, while the expectation is that Djorde Petrovic will leave the club.

Petrovic wanted to stay at Chelsea, but they have decided to go with a different strategy, so let’s see what happens with the goalkeepers domino. But for sure with Chelsea we will now see Jorgensen travel next week for his medical and contract signing, and it’s a boost for Enzo Maresca, who strongly wanted a goalkeeper with good distribution, and Jorgensen is believed to be one of the most talented with this specific skill.

With Anselmino, Chelsea were working to clarify some clauses with Boca Juniors, but now everything is okay. Anselmino will sign with Chelsea until 2031, and he’ll travel to have his medical on Monday. The young centre-back was also wanted by Spanish and Italian clubs, but he decided to sign with Chelsea months ago. He’ll now be unveiled as a new Chelsea player before returning to stay with Boca Juniors until January or possibly even until the end of the season.

Latest on Manchester United’s defensive transfer targets

We keep hearing a lot about Manchester United’s targets in defence and I’ve previously reported that they could sign more than one centre-back this summer, so what’s next after their recent deal for Leny Yoro?

The reality is that, for now, there’s still nothing more to discuss with Matthijs de Ligt’s agent as Man United already agreed on terms with the player weeks ago – there have been no fresh contacts, though they have spoken about Noussair Mazraoui, who is another client of Rafaela Pimenta. The problem is only on Bayern side as they insist on a €50m guaranteed fee, while Man United want to use add-ons as part of the deal.

I also don’t currently have any fresh information on Jarrad Branthwaite. There are no negotiations taking place at the moment after two bids rejected by Everton from Manchester United. Everton keep insisting on a fee of £70m at least and Man United will not pay that. The only way to reactivate the deal is if Everton drop their price, and they’re not planning for that at the moment.

It’s also important to note that the Jake O’Brien deal doesn’t necessarily mean that Branthwaite is leaving, even if there has been some speculation that he would be his replacement.

Nico Williams yet to communicate decision to Barcelona

I keep receiving many questions on one of the big sagas of the summer – Nico Williams. There are a lot of fans eager for updates, but honestly the only thing we can do now is wait for Williams to pick up his phone and communicate to clubs what he wants to do.

Barcelona are optimistic as they have a contract agreement ready with the agent of the player, but Williams himself has to decide together with his family and people close to him what he wants to do. So, Barca are waiting for Williams’ communication, and his decision is expected very soon, though it’s important to say that this is the next crucial step and they’re still waiting for it to arrive.

A lot of top clubs in Europe such as Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG also called to understand the situation of Williams, but they’ve all been told that we have to wait and decide to see what the player wants to do. Barcelona have been most advanced in terms of negotiations with his agents, but we’re still waiting for his decision.

Another important point to consider is Athletic Bilbao, because what I’m hearing in the last 24-48 hours is that they have prepared a new contract proposal for Williams in case he decides to stay. So if he decides to stay one more season, with his brother who plays there, he will earn a higher salary and there’ll be a new release clause.

Barcelona are waiting, and they will not activate any other deal until they get the final decision from Williams, but my understand is that they are still keeping contacts active with the camp of Dani Olmo. Nothing has been decided on Olmo yet, but they are keeping that option open because their feeling is that Olmo wants to go to Barcelona. Still, they also know that the financial agreement with RB Leipzig will not be easy. Barca are waiting for Williams, but they also want to be ready with Olmo in case that deal doesn’t happen – it’s crucial hours ahead now for these players.

Bayern Munich linked with AC Milan duo, but what’s the truth?

AC Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani has indicated that Theo Hernandez and Mike Maignan are not for sale this summer, but both have been linked with Bayern Munich, so what’s the truth?

Despite rumours, my understanding is that Bayern are not working on the Maignan deal, and Bayern are not working on the Hernandez deal – it’s as simple as that.

I think Milan deserve more respect as their players have been constantly linked with clubs without any bid or even any formal approach, but the reality is that Milan don’t need to sell in order to buy, they said that clearly also in public several times.

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Maignan and Hernandez are expected to stay at Milan, they’ve been very clear for months and this hasn’t changed – only crazy proposals can change the story and no one has even reached out to Milan this summer despite many links on the press. Milan are very relaxed, these are are key players for them, and the situation is under control.

In other news…

Bryan Gil – the Tottenham winger is joining Girona on loan, and the La Liga club will cover his salary. Tottenham will extend his contract and there will be a €15m release clause open to every club. If Girona and Gil want, they will continue together in 2025 by triggering the buy option. If they don’t want to, then the clause will be valid for other clubs.

Anthony Gordon – Liverpool tried to explore the Anthony Gordon deal in June as an opportunity but Newcastle didn’t open the door. Despite fresh speculation, I’m not aware of anything new going on – it’s still the same situation. Appreciation remains but no direct negotiations yet, and also at the current conditions Liverpool consider that too expensive. It’s quiet now, but we will see later in the window.

Kalvin Phillips – There’s no major update yet on Kalvin Phillips’ situation. Everton have been linked, and my understanding is that Everton but also many other clubs spoke with his agents, even if at the moment it’s not something close or imminent. I’m told it can take some days to assess all the options and then enter into advanced talks.

The post Transfer news: Calafiori Arsenal medical, Nico Williams latest, double Chelsea deal & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Kevin Nolan believes a move to Everton could be the best option for Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips.

The midfielder joined the Premier League champions from Leeds United in the summer of 2022 but injuries and competition for places have limited him to just 31 appearances for the club across all competitions.

Phillips — a 31-time England international — was loaned to West Ham United for the second half of the 2023/24 season but struggled to have the desired impact, playing just 10 games across all competitions and totalling only 320 minutes.

This summer, Phillips has been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium and Everton are one of the teams understood to be most interested

Nolan was David Moyes’ assistant coach during Phillips’ spell with the Hammers and he believes a switch to Goodison Park might be just what the 28-year-old needs to get back on track.

Nolan backs Sean Dyche to get Phillips back on track

“Sean Dyche is someone who would give him the support that he needs,” Nolan told talkSPORT.

“He’s got a really good backroom team and how they use the fitness coaches so being around them will help him.

“He’ll also be at home, which was a major thing with him coming down to London.

“He’d just had a baby, but everybody forgets about all of those things when we’re moving here, there and everywhere and our wives and kids are going off to another place while we get them set or they’re looking at houses.

“To come and try and bed in when his missus has just had a baby and stuff like that, it was a difficult time for him – off the field, as well as on.

“I think he has (got a fire in his belly) and it’s not for anyone else, but it’s sort like ‘I’ll show you’ and it’s for himself more than anything.

“He’s definitely got the ability and I truly hope that he gets back to where he was a couple of years ago and I’ve got no doubt that when he does, England will come knocking again.”

The post Man City outcast backed to make Everton move by former coach appeared first on CaughtOffside.

With a month left of the current transfer window, things have remained relatively quiet, although one England international is expected to move before the end of August.

The European Championship clearly played a part in some deals not getting over the line, given that any players involved in the tournament would not have wanted to deal with other matters until their country exited the tournament.

From the point of view of those representing the Three Lions, they’ll have had to wait until after the final before touching base again with their agents and any interested parties.

There’s an expectation that things will start to pick up soon, and former agent, Jon Smith, believes that we’re in for a busy time because a number of clubs will be active.

England ace will move in this window

“Chelsea have got a lot of business to do because they need to sell some players, so it’s just a matter of who goes and when. It’s probably going to be the youngest guys in the system, because that system is better for Chelsea’s return on investment,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“I think I’ve said it before, Victor Osimhen would fit so well for Chelsea and there’s been rumours that Napoli might let him go.

“Arsenal have bought well with Calafiori and I think there’ll be one or two more, with Nketiah moving at some point too.

“Something’s going to happen with Kalvin Phillips and something’s also going to happen with Ivan Toney.

“The market has been slow because of the European Championship, and it just needs one or two bigger deals to go through in order to open the tills for everyone else.

“Everyone’s obviously concerned about the FFP issues, but I still expect it to be very busy in the last 14-20 days of the window.

“Man United have got a lot to do, and not just because a large number of their admin staff are going either.

“Spurs will do something as will Liverpool. The Reds have done nothing which is a big surprise, but it’s kind of understandable if Arne Slot is taking his time before making his various moves.”

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To learn that Ivan Toney will be on the move will certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons.

It’s long been rumoured that the England international would leave Brentford at the end of the 2024/25 season, but a lack of confirmed and substantial enough offers had appeared to put paid to that notion.

Clearly, Smith has the inside track on any deal, though he was less forthcoming on a potential destination.

Fans of various Premier League clubs up and down the country will be waiting to see who comes through their door over the next few weeks, and one would appear to be in line to welcome the Bees hit-man.

The post Exclusive: “Going to happen” – Agent confirms England international will move in the current window appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Manchester City midfielder could be offered way out of the Etihad Stadium by one of the Premier League clubs.

The English midfielder has endured a difficult time at Man City and he is set to be moved out of the club after not being a part of Pep Guardiola’s future plans.

Phillips was sent on loan to West Ham United last season but his time at the London Stadium turned out to be disastrous, which raised question marks about his future as a player.

However, it could all change this summer for him with Everton reportedly looking to offer him a lifeline to reignite his career.

After Amadou Onana left for Aston Villa in a £50 million move, Everton are now looking for a replacement, and talkSPORT has reported that they are interested in signing Phillips.

Phillips is also being watched by Fulham, who have lost their midfielder Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich this summer.

Following his move to Man City from Leeds United back in 2022, it was expected that the midfielder would become a regular part of the first team at the Etihad Stadium.

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Manager Pep Guardiola has not used him enough and now he is considered surplus to requirements.

His poor form and limited playing time have seen him lose his place in the England team.

Phillips has always been highly-rated by Gareth Southgate and the former manager even mentioned him during the Euros this summer, saying how the Three Lions do not have a natural replacement of the former Leeds United midfielder.

Everton want Man City midfielder on loan this summer

With Everton facing financial issues, they are expected to make an offer for a loan signing to Man City.

Toffees manager Sean Dyche has other concerns to address this summer as far as shortcomings of his squad are concerned.

The Merseyside club narrowly avoided relegation last season after having their points deducted for breaking Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

In order to avoid another such a situation, they are ready to sign new players this summer and feel Phillips could be a key addition to their midfield after Onana’s departure to Aston Villa.

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Manchester City will cut their losses and accept a cut-price fee for struggling midfielder Kalvin Phillips this summer.

That’s according to a recent report from Football Insider, who claims the Premier League champions are willing to let the midfielder move on for a sum far less than what they paid for him.

The Cityzens signed Phillips, 28, from boyhood club Leeds United just two years ago in a deal worth a reported £42 million, but after starting just five Premier League matches since his switch, the Englishman has failed to replace Rodri in the heart of Pep Guardiola’s midfield.

Manchester City slash Kalvin Phillips asking price following disastrous transfer

And despite being allowed to leave the Etihad and spend the second half of last season on loan with West Ham, the ex-Leeds star’s poor form saw him dropped by David Moyes before missing out on Gareth Southgate’s final 26-man squad for the EUROs.

Consequently, in a desperate attempt to get his faltering career back on track, Phillips would undoubtedly welcome a new challenge. And City appear not to be standing in the midfielder’s way with the 10-time league winners willing to accept just £20 million for the 28-year-old.

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Believed to be wanted by Everton as Sean Dyche prepares for an important season with hopes of avoiding relegation, Phillips’ links to Goodison Park could see him line up in the Toffees’ famous blue kit.

The post Manchester City slash asking price for struggling 28-year-old appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Everton face a battle with Nottingham Forest to sign midfielder Florentino Luis from Benfica, according to reports. 

Making his debut in February 2019, Florentino has become a regular in the Benfica side, playing 131 times for the club across all competitions, scoring once and providing four assists, winning two league titles along the way.

The 24-year-old finished 2023/24 top among Benfica players for tackles (79), second for interceptions (49) and with a pass accuracy of 89.03%, providing a steady presence in front of his defence, with and without the ball.

“He is the kind of player every coach would like to have in their squad,” former Benfica coach Joao Tralhao told GOAL of Florentino in 2023.

“He’s an amazing boy, a hard worker, calm, professional, always prepared to listen and he is a proper team player. He doesn’t think only of himself.”

Could Florentino replace Amadou Onana?

Even before the summer transfer window opens, it’s understood that central midfield is one of the key areas of concern for Everton this summer. That need would only become more urgent should rumours linking Amadou Onana to Arsenal be true.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees are pursuing a loan deal for out-of-favour Manchester City star Kalvin Phillips. However, it looks like he’s not the only target.

A report from Portuguese outlet Record (via Sport Witness) states that Everton have been interested in Florentino since January and even tried to bring the 84-time Portugal youth international to Goodison Park at the end of that transfer window.

The report also states that Benfica value Florentino at €30m, meaning he would only become a more realistic option should Onana be sold, given Everton’s precarious position when it comes to Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules. The Toffees are, of course, not out of hot water having already suffered an eight-point deduction last season.

It’s understood Nottingham Forest — another side hit with a points deduction in 2023/24 — are also preparing to join the race for Florentino, who Benfica would rather sell in a bid to keep Arsenal and Man Utd target Joao Neves around for another season.

The post Everton face transfer battle with Premier League rival for potential Onana replacement appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Manchester City have increased their options as they look to move on midfielder Kalvin Phillips this summer.

The English midfielder has endured a difficult time at the Etihad Stadium since joining the club two seasons ago from Leeds United.

He has been a benchwarmer for Pep Guardiola’s team following his promising move from Leeds.

The 28-year-old midfielder has been a bit part player for the Premier League champions and they are now determined to move him on this summer.

According to Rob Dawson of ESPN, the Sky Blues are not only open to listening to offers for Phillips but also considering another loan move away from the club for the midfielder.

Phillips joined West Ham United in a loan move in January but his spell under David Moyes at the London Stadium was disastrous.

He only started three games for the Hammers since joining them, making a number of high profile errors in his time in east London.

The player has realised he is not part of the plans of Man City manager Guardiola and a move away from the club is the only option to revive his career.

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In just one and a half seasons at the Etihad Stadium, Phillips has made 31 appearances totaling 911 minutes – little more than ten complete games – in all competitions since joining Guardiola in Manchester in the summer of 2022.

The midfield player, a member of the Three Lions squad that advanced to the Euro 2020 final, has experience a huge decline in his career.

Phillips has no future at Man City

However, with Man City looking to move him on, he could get the chance to get his career back on track.

Failing to make it to the England squad for the Euro this summer would have hurt Phillips and it looks like he is determined to make a move this summer in order to win his place back in Gareth Southgate’s team.

Sky Sports have reported that Everton are interested in a move for Phillips this summer.

It remains to be seen which club Phillips will join but he is not going to stay at the Etihad Stadium for long now.

The post Man City make Kalvin Phillips decision as they plan to move on midfielder appeared first on CaughtOffside.