Man City: Real Madrid star in, legend and flop out – is a midfield revamp coming?

Manchester City could begin the next stage of their midfield overhaul in January, with Kalvin Phillips being given the chance to join a Premier League club amid talk that two other players could secure big moves.

Phillips left boyhood club Leeds United to join Man City for £45million in July 2022. The defensive midfielder made the switch to take his career to the next level and win major silverware.

While Phillips has since picked up winners’ medals in competitions such as the Champions League, Premier League (x2) and FA Cup, the transfer has not worked out well for his career.

He has never managed to convince Pep Guardiola that he should be playing regularly, resulting in just 32 appearances over more than three years.

Phillips had loan spells at West Ham United and Ipswich Town to try and reignite his career, but neither of those worked.

The 31-time England international is back in the picture at City to some extent, having played in the League Cup win over Huddersfield Town last month.

However, he is extremely unlikely to feature in the Premier League and therefore needs a winter move to start playing regularly again.

Football Insider claim Everton could rescue Phillips in January as they have ‘set their sights’ on him.

Everton are ‘assessing the market’ for midfield recruits and hold an ‘active interest’ in Phillips.

The move is likely being spearheaded by David Moyes, it’s claimed. While Phillips did not exactly thrive under Moyes at West Ham, the Scottish manager is still a big fan of his.

The report claims Everton could sign the 29-year-old on an initial loan deal that includes an option to buy – but that is literally impossible, given they have already signed Jack Grealish on loan and cannot loan two players from the same Premier League club. Therefore, it would have to be a permanent deal if he’s pursued this season.

Grealish has had a fantastic start to his Everton career, though the Toffees will try to sign him for less than their £50m buy option next summer.

Phillips is not the only City midfielder who could be on the move next year. Club captain Bernardo Silva could depart on a free transfer once his contract expires in June.

Silva has already said he knows exactly what he is going to do in the summer, though he stopped short of revealing his plans.

As per Italian outlet Calciomercato, AC Milan have joined Juventus in the pursuit of the Portugal star.

TEAMtalk revealed Juve’s interest in Silva last month, and now both Italian giants have entered initial talks with the player’s camp.

Barcelona are also thought to be in the mix for Silva, while Saudi Arabian clubs Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Qadsiah are all ready to offer him huge money to head to the Middle East.

On Monday, TEAMtalk analysed where the 31-year-old might go next.

It emerged earlier this week that City could swoop for Real Madrid star Eduardo Camavinga to future-proof their midfield.

Camavinga’s future under Xabi Alonso is uncertain and City are supposedly planning a €60m (£52m) bid for his services.

City’s interest in Camavinga comes amid worries about Rodri’s long-term fitness. Rodri returned from an ACL injury in the summer but complained about pain in his knee in just his fourth game back, while he is now recovering from a hamstring problem.

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Will Guardiola be able to rely on Rodri?

While players like Virgil van Dijk have gotten back to their best after suffering ACL injuries, there are also many cases where players never reach their former heights.

City appear to have identified Camavinga as a long-term replacement for Rodri in case the Ballon d’Or winner is now on the decline.

Guardiola’s side began their midfield revamp in the summer, signing Tijjani Reijnders and Sverre Nypan and letting Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and James McAtee go.

Nico Gonzalez arrived in January too, though he is not seen as a good enough successor for Rodri in the long run.

Nypan is currently on loan at Middlesbrough, and the 18-year-old will need time to develop before he competes for a first-team spot at City.

After the recent departure of De Bruyne, Silva could be the next City icon to leave.

But these are the types of squad rebuilds that keep Guardiola energised and ensure City win trophies at the very highest level almost every year.

Man City: £97m trio facing uncertain futures; final Rodri decision

Meanwhile, three City players worth a combined £97m have been tipped to consider their futures in January.

We have taken a look at where they could go next.

Plus, Madrid have made a final decision on whether they will be moving for Rodri.