MCFC are ready to cash in on their midfielder Kalvin Phillips and once he moves out, Pep Guardiola wants to bring in Bayer Leverkusen’s Exequiel Palacios as the replacement, claims TNT Sports.
Kalvin Phillips has been a major disappointment at Manchester City and in two seasons, he’s failed to win Guardiola’s trust. The England international has hardly gotten any game time and with some big clubs interested in signing him, MCFC want to offload him as early as possible.
Teams like Liverpool, Newcastle United and West Ham United want to sign Phillips and as per the latest reports, City have set a price tag of around £50 million for the midfielder.
Liverpool have a long-standing interest in the England international but he could be on his way to Newcastle United as Eddie Howe is exploring a loan option to replace Sandro Tonali in January. Klopp is very fond of the ex-Leeds man but we doubt if his board will allow him to sign spend £50 million during the middle of the season.
If Kalvin Phillips was to leave at the start of the new year then Guardiola’s side will most likely try and sign Exequiel Palacios.
Palacios has been on Bayer’s books since 2020 and the 25-year-old midfielder has been a top-class performer under Xavi Alonso. This season, the Argentina international has started in nine league matches and despite being a central midfielder, he’s scored two and assisted three goals.
He’s been one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga this season and if MCFC are serious about signing him then he can not only be a replacement for Kalvin Phillips but the 25-year-old can also be the long-term heir for Rodri. Rodri’s recent suspension has clearly shown how important he is to Pep’s plans and if Palacios maintains his level in the EPL then he can very well be the backup plan to Rodri.
As things stand, Kalvin Phillips looks on his way out and thanks to Sandro Tonali’s ban, he is probably going to be on his way out in January itself but what remains to be seen is if Bayer Leverkusen is ready to part ways with Exequiel Palacios during the middle of the season.
They are currently sitting at the top of the German league table so there’s very little chance that Xavi Alonso will agree to sell such an important player in January. Thankfully, Pep Guardiola has plenty of midfielders to not be worried which means MCFC can very easily send Phillips out in January and then bring in Palacios at the end of this season.
