Aston Villa to turn attention to ‘all-action’ Kalvin Phillips after multi-million transfer twist
Aston Villa have been urged to make a shock move to sign Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City.
Villa went after Conor Gallagher this winter, with a clear aim to bring in a new midfield option for Unai Emery.
The Villans missed out on his signature as Gallagher opted to join Tottenham from Atletico Madrid in a £40million January switch.
The search for reinforcements doesn’t seem to have ended with Dani Ceballos since linked to Villa as a potential option in the Midlands.
Attention could instead turn to Phillips as the claret and blue outfit could look to bring his Manchester City nightmare to an end.
Unai Emery could green-light Kalvin Phillips deal in January
Phillips nearly joined Villa from Leeds United many years ago when the B6 club were adjusting back to life in the Premier League.
They now find themselves in a potential title race, while being among the favourites to earn Champions League qualification for next season.
If the Villans are to achieve that goal, January reinforcements could be needed to provide a boost across the second half of the season.
Gallagher was wanted to make that difference in midfield, but after missing out on him, former Villa scout Bryan King has urged Emery to turn to Phillips.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, King said: “You’ve got Kalvin Phillips, he’s not doing much at the moment.
“I would be bringing him in right now. He’s not playing football and I think that kind of player would be suited to Emery.
“He’ll know some of the players at Villa from his England days, so he could be an option.
“It’s whether he’s the type of player Emery wants.
“He’s all action, more so than Conor Gallagher, and he’ll definitely give you 100 per cent.“
Phillips could replace Ross Barkley at Aston Villa
It appears that an exit could be on the cards for Ross Barkley at Bodymoor Heath, summing up the need for a new midfield signing.
The ex-Everton man has been superb when called upon by Emery, but may go out in search of more regular minutes this winter.
Phillips could prove to be a cost effective alternative for the Englishman, with Manchester City likely to let him leave for a cut-price fee.
The former Leeds United star has featured so little this season, that a cheap move could make sense for Villa purely for squad depth.
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