Everton 'setting their sights' on January transfer window move for former Leeds United star

A former Leeds United star could get a chance to reignite his flagging career with a January move to Premier League rivals Everton.

Just over three years have passed since Kalvin Phillips left his boyhood club to join Manchester City in a deal believed to be worth around £42 million. However, life at the Etihad Stadium has not gone as expected for the 31-times capped England international and he has not made a Premier League appearance for Pep Guardiola’s side since coming off the bench in a 6-1 win against Bournemouth in November 2023.

Phillips made loan moves to West Ham United and Ipswich Town over the last two seasons but neither move was able to trigger an upturn in fortunes and the 29-year-old returned to City during the summer. Guardiola revealed Phillips was to train with his first-team squad after undergoing surgery and admitted the midfielder could be handed an chance to impress in the near future.

Speaking ahead of last month’s 5-1 home win against Burnley, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich head coach said: "Today he (Phillips) is in London because he will be a father for the second time. He's coming back, training with us and we will see what happens. He's coming from surgery so now has to make training sessions and maybe some minutes in some games."

However, Phillips is yet to appear in the City matchday squad for a Premier League fixture this season and his only appearance of the campaign came when he replaced Nico Gonzalez as a late substitute in a Carabao Cup win against League One club Huddersfield Town.

The Whites academy product has been named in City’s Premier League - but making a top flight appearance still remains unlikely and there have been reports suggesting he could leave the Etihad Stadium when the January transfer window opens for the business. Football Insider have reported Everton are ‘setting their sights’ on a move for the former Whites midfielder and an initial loan deal has been suggested as a permanent move could be difficult. The Toffees are said to ‘have an active interest’ in Phillips and are keen to add to their midfield options in the new year as they look to build on what has been a solid start to the Premier League season.

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