Arsenal have reportedly earmarked Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips as their leading midfield target for the January transfer window.
The former Leeds United man has failed to make the grade at the Etihad since arriving from Elland Road in 2022, making just 26 appearances for the club and failing to bag a goal or assist.
Injuries have played their part in Phillips not fulfilling his potential at Man City, while the form of Rodri in the number six role has also made it difficult for the Englishman to earn starts.
In total, Phillips has only played a mere 360 minutes of Premier League football in 15 top-flight matches for the treble winners, starting just twice against Chelsea and Brentford at the back end of the 2022-23 season.
The 27-year-old replaced the suspended Rodri for the Citizens’ midweek EFL Cup trip to Newcastle United, but he was booked in a 1-0 defeat before being demoted to the bench in his side’s 2-1 Premier League loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
With Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic also at Guardiola’s disposal, Phillips’s prospects of regular starts amid Rodri’s suspension remain slim, and he was heavily linked with a departure over the summer.
West Ham United were believed to be pushing for Phillips’s signature after selling Declan Rice to Arsenal, but the former Leeds lynchpin remains on the books at the Etihad, where his contract runs until 2028.
Despite splashing out £105m on the aforementioned Rice, Fichajes claims that Arsenal have identified Phillips as a prime candidate to beef up their midfield ranks midway through the campaign.
Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta is reportedly attracted to Phillips’s versatility and views the England international as a possible successor to Jorginho, whose contract runs out at the end of the season.
In addition, Thomas Partey – who is currently out with a groin injury – is due to represent Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, while Mohamed Elneny’s deal expires in under a year’s time too.
Kai Havertz has also struggled to fit into a deeper midfield role since his £65m move from Chelsea, although Guardiola told a press conference last week that Phillips informed the club of his desire to stay over the summer.
“The club spoke with him because he did not have many minutes. He said ‘no, I want to stay’. We brought Kalvin here for his quality. He is open-minded, always wants to learn and wants to help. This is what we want to try to do,” Guardiola revealed.
“I’d love to have done with Kalvin what Marcelo [Bielsa] has done to him. We have our own specific way to play and [he] sometimes struggles in a few things, while the previous [Leeds playing style] was perfect [for him].”
Alongside a possible move for Phillips, Arsenal are also expected to bolster their attacking ranks over the winter and are keeping tabs on Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez.
A move for Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Pedro Neto has also been mooted, although Arsenal apparently tried and failed to sign the Portuguese attacker over the summer.
