West Ham United are one of three clubs to have made a loan approach for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips with the Premier League champions swiftly giving a reply.
The Lowdown: Phillips sidelined...
The England international has found game-time difficult to come by at Eastlands under Pep Guardiola this season. He has played just 18 minutes in the English top flight and 13 minutes in the Champions League, managing one start in the Carabao Cup defeat to Southampton (WhoScored).
This has largely been in part to the crucial presence of Rodri in front of City's backline and the fact that Phillips has been sidelined through injury at points over 2022/23.
The former Leeds star has been linked with a move away from Manchester this month, with The Sun sharing an update involving West Ham.
The Latest: West Ham make Phillips approach...
The outlet reported that the Irons - along with Everton and Leeds - have 'asked' about signing the 27-year-old, with contact made through an approach.
However, West Ham and the other interested parties have been knocked back as City are 'refusing to do business'. Guardiola believes that Phillips still has a big part to play this season as the Sky Blues fight on multiple fronts.
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The Verdict: Unfortunate...
If David Moyes is looking for a new midfielder to shore up his ranks and reinforce West Ham's fight for survival, Phillips would've been the ideal fit.
Both he and Irons captain Declan Rice already know each other from their time playing together for England under Gareth Southgate, potentially nullifying the need for any adjustment period.
Despite not getting much in the way of game-time under Guardiola, Phillips' quality radiates from his final season at Leeds, as reflected by the figures from WhoScored. The statistical analysis claims that he averaged Leeds' joint-second highest rate of tackles per 90 in the 2021/22 Premier League (2.7 per game) and ranked in their top five for interceptions made.
The £150,000-per-week brute has also been described as having 'unprecedented' quality by former Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson last year.
Indeed, he could have been an excellent signing for Moyes on loan, but the move appears to be difficult for West Ham to pull off unless City have a late change of stance.