Real Madrid have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips in the January transfer window.
The 27-year-old is facing an uncertain future at the Etihad Stadium having failed to reach the heights expected since joining from boyhood club Leeds United for around £45m in the summer of 2022.
Phillips has started only five of his 27 appearances for Man City across all competitions, and has fallen behind the likes of Rodri, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes, Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Rico Lewis in the pecking order.
The England international has featured for just 168 minutes across six appearances for the Citizens so far this season, and he has been tipped to seek pastures new in search of regular first-team football.
Although Phillips still has five years remaining on his contract at the Etihad, the midfielder has hinted at a possible exit from Man City in January, while manager Pep Guardiola has refused to rule out a winter-window departure for the Yorkshireman.
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A host of Premier League clubs have been credited with an interest in Phillips including Newcastle United, who have allegedly identified the midfielder as a possible target following the 10-month betting ban handed to Sandro Tonali.
West Ham United were strongly linked with a move for Phillips in the summer and are thought to still hold an interest in the midfielder, while a transfer to one of Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Everton or German giants Bayern Munich has also been mooted.
However, according to Spanish news outlet Defensa Central, intermediaries of Phillips have made contact with Real Madrid and have offered the player to the Spanish giants ahead of the New Year.
Man City's £50m asking price could prove to be a stumbling block, though, as Los Blancos are said to have no interest in negotiating a deal at that valuation.
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It is thought that Real Madrid are not currently prioritising the addition of a new midfielder after bolstering their squad with the acquisitions of Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler during the summer transfer window.
Bellingham has hit the ground running in remarkable fashion with Los Blancos, scoring 13 goals in as any matches across all competitions, while Guler has been hampered with injuries and is yet to make his debut.
Real Madrid will likely have plans in the future to move for a new midfielder, though, as both Luka Modric, 38, and Toni Kroos, 33, have entered the latter stages of their careers.
Modric, who is out of contract next summer, recently admitted that he is unhappy with his current game time under manager Carlo Ancelotti having started just five of his 12 appearances in all tournaments so far this season.
Kroos, meanwhile, will also see his contract expire in June 2024 and has started seven of his 13 games for Los Blancos this term, competing with Modric, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga for a place in midfield.
Oliver Thomas
