West Ham United’s Kalvin Phillips is willing to waive £17.5 million as a ‘move might be done’ in January.
According to The Sun, Kalvin Phillips is willing to forego his £17.5 million pay-off to leave Manchester City due to his links to West Ham United.
The midfielder has acknowledged the impossibility of breaking into Pep Guardiola’s midfield and is keen on a move to stay in Gareth Southgate’s England plans for the forthcoming Euros, according to the daily online (21 October).
According to the Sun, a “deal could be done” if City can recoup close to the £42 million Phillips paid Leeds United in 2022, with the Hammers, Bayern Munich, and Newcastle all interested.
Phillips’ career may benefit from a move away from the Etihad, but he may struggle to find game time in Stratford as well.
The Hammers’ new-look midfield, which replaced Declan Rice this summer, has done admirably this season. Under David Moyes, James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus, and Edson Alvarez have all settled in nicely, and none have done anything to merit being sacked.
The season, however, is lengthy, and if West Ham can ensure a strong run in the Europa League, they will need quality additions on the bench or to allow others to rest. Phillips, on the other hand, would not be an immediate starter at West Ham.
Phillips is still 27 years old, so he has plenty of time to rebuild his career following his time at City. Phillips’ inability to break into Pep Guardiola’s side reflects their enormous quality rather than his talent, thus he would be a valuable asset to the Hammers.
However, in order to stay in Southgate’s plans for Euro 2024, Phillips may be interested in a move that would see him start the bulk of games, but given his lack of minutes in recent months, this could be difficult.
His £42 million price tag may be too much for a club that spent the majority of its cash on midfielders this summer, but West Ham will keep an eye on him.
