West Ham have reignited their interest in Man City star Kalvin Phillips, sources have told Football Insider.
The Londoners were linked with a £50million bid for the midfielder, 27, last January when he was still at Leeds United.
Now, West Ham have been alerted by City boss Pep Guardiola surprisingly going public to condemn Phillips for being “overweight” and in poor condition when he returned after the World Cup.
The Irons expect to lose Declan Rice in the summer window when he will have just a year left on his contract after he rejected multiple offers to extend it.
Phillips is highly rated by manager David Moyes and seen as capable of replacing Rice if he leaves.
The midfielder could even be available for less than the fee paid by City last summer, of £42m plus £3m add-ons.
The former Leeds midfielder has played just one minute of Premier League football since his move to the Etihad in the summer and looks to be falling further and further down in Guardiola’s pecking order.
He was still called up to the England squad by Gareth Southgate for the 2022 World Cup this winter but lost his starting spot alongside Rice to youngster Jude Bellingham.
With Rice likely heading for the exit in the summer and Tomas Soucek struggling for form this season, a new midfielder will be top of the priority list for Moyes.
Flynn Downes has made good progress at the London Stadium this season, but there is no obvious successor to Rice within the current squad.
It comes as Moyes finds himself fighting for his job at West Ham after a poor start to the season.
In other news, sources reveal Moyes verdict from West Ham board after loss to Brentford
Rio Ferdinand reckons Erling Haaland and Bukayo Saka have already banked player of the season awards
Erling Haaland is enjoying a stunning first season with Manchester City (Picture: Getty Images)
Rio Ferdinand reckons Erling Haaland has already done enough to win the Premier League Player of the Season, while Bukayo Saka is also nailed on to claim the Young Player of the Season.
Both the Manchester City striker and the Arsenal forward have had superb campaigns so far, with Haaland bursting onto the Premier League scene in some style.
The Norwegian scored his 21st goal in just 15 Premier League appearances on Saturday as City drew 1-1 with Everton, taking his tally to 27 for the season in all competitions.
Saka also scored on Saturday, netting in Arsenal’s 4-2 win at Brighton, as he took his Premier League tally to six for the campaign and helped the Gunners to a seven-point lead at the top of the table.
Ferdinand has been thoroughly impressed with both young attackers, so much so that he doesn’t think anyone could beat them to winning the end of season awards, and there is a long way to go before they are dished out.
‘Saka is PL young player of the year already….hand it to him asap….and give Haaland the senior award too while ya at it!!’ Ferdinand tweeted.
Bukayo Saka has been a key part of Arsenal’s amazing campaign so far (Picture: Getty Images)
If Ferdinand is right about Haaland winning Player of the Season then he may well be wrong about Saka claiming the other award.
The prolific Norwegian is still only 22 and does not turn 23 until July, so will be eligible to win Young Player of the Season at the end of the current campaign.
The likes of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo have won both awards in the same season in the past and Haaland could well join the exclusive club.
Source: footballinsider247.com; metro.co.uk
