U-turn sees shock Liverpool move for troubled Man City star lurch the other way
A touted £35m Liverpool move for a troubled Man City star has been flipped on its head by the latest update.
The Reds may have won five in a row as the campaign comes to a close, though Jurgen Klopp is under no illusion his squad requires major surgery this summer.
Midfield is the area that will experience the greatest change, with two and more probably three new faces to arrive.
Liverpool have put forward their proposal to sign Brighton’s World Cup winner, Alexis Mac Allister. The ultra-reliable Paul Joyce of The Times namechecked Ryan Gravenberch and Mason Mount as further key targets for the engine room.
Elsewhere, The Mirror brought surprise news of Liverpool mulling a £35m move for Man City’s Kalvin Phillips last week.
The England international, 27, has endured a torrid campaign since arriving from Leeds Utd last summer.
Phillips has been beset by injury, though even when fit, has barely got a look-in under Pep Guardiola. His six league appearances this term have totalled a measly 103 minutes.
Guardiola was reportedly unimpressed when Phillips took his full holiday allocation of nine days after the World Cup rather than returning to club duties early.
Furthermore, Phillips turned up in what Guardiola believed to be less than satisfactory physical condition. The Spaniard then proceeded to publicly call out the player on the issue.
A seemingly strained relationship, combined with the fact Rodri is unmoveable in Phillips’ primary position, prompted talk of a move to Liverpool.
The Mirror claimed Phillips was ‘open’ to the idea of rebooting his career under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield. A £35m bid was said to be on the horizon.
Phillips having none of Liverpool idea
However, a fresh update from talkSPORT has flipped the situation on its head. They claim that rather than leave the Etihad after just one season, Phillips is determined to stay and fight for his place.
West Ham are another who’ve shown interest in prising Phillips out of City. However, both they and Liverpool are set to be snubbed in the event they act on their interest.
Phillips reportedly believes he can force his way into Guardiola’s plans. Whether that means he’ll more evenly split minutes with Rodri moving forward or play alongside him isn’t stated, though both avenues look ambitious on the player’s end.
Regardless, Phillips is seemingly determined to prove his worth in sky blue and the fact City signings often take a year to get to grips with Guardiola’s system is noted in the piece.
The truly top tier options – such as Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland – took no time to adapt.
However, it’s true to say the likes of Nathan Ake, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish all struggled in their first season under Pep before becoming crucial components further down the line.
