The England international joined Manchester City for £42 million in July 2022, but due to injuries and contention for starting berths, he has only made 26 appearances for the club, four of which have been starts.
This contrasts with Phillips’ spell with Leeds, where he made 234 appearances, scoring 14 goals and assisting on 13 others. He was once regarded as one of the top defensive midfielders in the Premier League.
As a result, there have been reports that Pep Guardiola may allow Phillips to leave Manchester City on loan in January to help him relaunch his career. The
Several Premier League clubs have taken notice of this. Tottenham have been linked with Phillips, while Newcastle and Everton have also surfaced as potential suitors.
Now, Romano has provided an update on whether Phillips will leave Manchester City in January.
According to Romano, no serious negotiations have yet taken place between Man City and any team over Phillips’ future.
However, if his playing time does not rise, the 27-year-old may consider leaving the Etihad.
“Newcastle won’t decide anything on transfer targets before they know what happens in their Champions League group.”
Eddie Howe is trying to add competition for the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff, and Sandro Tonali and is said to be a fan of Phillips, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Magpies make a move for him.
Everton manager Sean Dyche is also interested in bringing in a new midfielder this winter. Recently, James Garner has been in fantastic form, while Amadou Onana has also delivered some strong performances.
“Despite links with Newcastle and Everton, I’m not aware of any concrete talks on this one,” Romano said in his Daily Briefing about Phillips.
“Despite some approaches, Phillips wanted to stay at City this summer, so he’s still focused on doing his best for City, and a decision will be made later, like November or December.”
Idrissa Gana Gueye, on the other hand, has been rather unreliable, and Everton may be without him for a while when the Africa Cup of Nations begins in mid-January. He is an important player for Senegal.
Abdoulaye Doucoure, one of the Toffees’ most significant players, will also compete for Mali.
With that in mind, bringing in a Premier League established midfielder like Phillips could be a wise move for Everton, although they are unlikely to be able to sign him permanently.
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