West Ham United have managed to beat off a string of clubs to the signing of Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips in the January transfer window.
The 28-year-old has failed to make an impact since joining the Premier League champions from Leeds United last summer and is keen to leave the club in search of minutes ahead of Euro 2024.
Numerous clubs registered their interest in the England international, and not just from the Premier League; Barcelona, Juventus and PSG were all in the race at one point or another.
Newcastle United were the favourites to complete a deal for Phillips up until last week, when it emerged that the Magpies were put off by the large loan fee – reportedly as high as £7m – that Man City were demanding.
Crystal Palace threw their hat in the ring, with manager Roy Hodgson openly stating the Eagles would be interested in bringing the player to Selhurst Park, if the deal made financial sense.
However, all of those clubs have lost out to the Hammers, who have ‘reached an agreement’ to sign Phillips on loan, according to The Athletic.
West Ham will reportedly cover Phillips’ wages for the duration of his spell at the club, while there is also an option to make the transfer a permanent one in the summer, but only if the London outfit agree to meet Man City’s valuation.
It’s a move that suits all sides: David Moyes gains a highly experienced player to fill the Declan Rice hole in their midfielder, City get some dead money off their books, while Phillips gets a chance to prove to Gareth Southgate he deserves a seat on the plane to Germany in the summer.
But West Ham aren’t finished there. Reports also suggest they are looking to sign an attacker before the transfer window closes, with former Celtic wide man Jota and Nordsjaelland’s Ibrahim Osman linked with a January move.
With fifth place potentially being enough to qualify for the Champions League next season and the Hammers still being in the Europa League, it’s clear Moyes really wants to attack the second half of the season and build on last season’s success.
