Newcastle have rejected the chance to sign Kalvin Phillips
Newcastle United ended their pursuit of Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips because of a key decision by manager Eddie Howe, according to a report.
Phillips is desperate to leave City this month after enduring another frustrating season at the Etihad. He is low down the midfield pecking order and has made just 10 appearances this term, with only four of those coming in the Premier League.
Phillips has emerged on the radar of plenty of teams due to his England pedigree, as well as his great performances at Leeds United prior to his City nightmare.
In recent weeks, Newcastle have been named as the frontrunners to sign the 28-year-old. The Magpies have looked into capturing Phillips as a replacement for the banned Sandro Tonali and the injured Joelinton.
But on Tuesday, it was revealed that Newcastle’s move for Phillips had collapsed. At that point, it was thought that City’s demands for the Leeds academy graduate were too high.
After all, Pep Guardiola’s side want a £7million loan fee, while also asking Newcastle to pay a majority of the player’s £135,000-a-week wages.
Football Insider have now provided their information on the transfer talks, and they state that money was not the main reason for Newcastle ending their interest.
Instead, it is claimed that Howe told Newcastle to walk away from the negotiations as he was not sure Phillips is the right type of midfielder for his team.
Eddie Howe warns Newcastle against Kalvin Phillips signing
One of the main reasons for this could be his lack of match fitness. As Phillips has spent much of the last two seasons warming the bench, it will take him some time to get up to speed at his next club. Plus, Guardiola has even complained about the 31-cap international being overweight during his time at City.
While Newcastle are no longer chasing a deal for Phillips, he could still achieve a big transfer before the winter deadline.
On Friday, sources confirmed to TEAMtalk that West Ham United are now pushing to bring Phillips in, with David Moyes a long-term admirer of his.
As City eventually want to get Phillips off their books permanently, he could sign for West Ham on loan with either an option or obligation to buy.
Alternatively, Phillips could head to La Liga next. Recent reports emerging from Spain have incredibly stated that European heavyweights Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are keeping tabs on his situation ahead of launching potential bids.
