Sky Sports share West Ham United stance on Kalvin Phillips deal as £5m loan fee mooted for Man City exit
West Ham are interested in signing Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips in the January transfer window, according to Sky Sports.
The news outlet reported on its live transfer tracker on Monday (15 January, 03:37pm) that the Citizens would prefer to sell the England international, but they would be looking for a £5million loan fee and for his £135,000 a week salary to be paid in full if he was to temporarily leave the Etihad Stadium.
Although it said the Hammers have a “long-standing interest” in the 28-year-old, it added that his wages may prove to be a stumbling block in their bid to bring him to the London Stadium.
Asking a lot
It’s pretty clear that Man City are asking quite a lot for a player who is currently well down the pecking order and hasn’t played much football lately at the Etihad.
Phillips is undoubtedly a quality player following his performances previously in the Premier League for Leeds United and England at international level, having been a firm favourite under Gareth Southgate for the past few years.
But a £5million loan fee and his wages to be paid in full is quite an outrageous request to just send him out on loan for a few months before potentially cashing in on him in the summer anyway.
If the Hammers were to agree a loan deal, then we should absolutely be looking to ensure there is an option-to-buy clause included so that we have first dibs on him.
But it does seem like this is a potentially complicated transfer to complete, so whether or not it will happen – and Phillips will even leave the Citizens this month – is something we’ll have to wait and see on.
In other West Ham news, the club are eyeing a move for a player on £200,000 a week.