Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has revealed that he would be interested in bringing Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips to Selhurst Park on loan in January.
The England midfielder remains on the fringes of Pep Guardiola's team and has been persistently linked with either a temporary or permanent exit from the Etihad Stadium for several months now.
Both City and Phillips are believed to be working to engineer a transfer elsewhere in the January transfer window, and Newcastle United are currently believed to be the frontrunners for his signature.
Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be keeping tabs on the situation as they chase Champions League football, although both Manchester United and Juventus have ruled out approaches this month.
While most of Phillips's potential suitors so far are in the mix for European football next season, Hodgson does not see why Crystal Palace could not throw their hat into the ring for a loan move and told the media as such ahead of their FA Cup third-round replay with Everton on Wednesday.
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"He's a good player. I would like to think that if Kalvin Phillips is available and a possibility for the club - once again, there will be financial restrictions, who knows whether the club feels they will be able to afford that - but if you're talking about the level of player, I don't feel there will be many managers who would not say 'yeah, we will be really happy to have him come to the club'," Hodgson said.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's a name that's out there. All we know, like most other clubs, is that there is a possibility that Manchester City will either sell him or loan him."
Crystal Palace face playing the remainder of the season without key midfield fulcrum Cheick Doucoure, who ruptured his Achilles tendon against Luton Town in November, allowing Chris Richards to earn minutes in midfield for the Eagles.
During the absence of Liverpool-linked Doucoure, though, Palace have won just once in seven Premier League fixtures and are just five points clear of the relegation zone in 14th place, albeit having increased their buffer to the dotted line by beating Brentford 3-1 on December 30.
Hodgson went on to concede that Palace would be unlikely to afford a permanent deal for Phillips, but he is hopeful that the opportunity to earn regular first-team starts - which may not arise at European-chasing sides - will work in the Eagles' favour ahead of Euro 2024.
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"If they are purely going to sell him, then I don't think we will be in the market. If they're going to loan him, I would like to think that we could possibly put our hand up and push ourselves forward," Hodgson added.
"What we could then of course offer is the chance to play regular football in the Premier League in the build-up to what will be a very important summer for England and for him.
"We might not be the only club in that position, so at the end of the day, a lot will have to happen before we find out where Kalvin Phillips is going to end up if he's going to go anywhere."
Phillips has totalled a mere 318 minutes of football across 10 matches for Pep Guardiola's side in the 2023-24 campaign, and he is yet to make a starting lineup in the Premier League this season.
The former Leeds United man has been an unused substitute in each of the Citizens' last eight top-flight contests, but his deal at the Etihad is not due to expire until 2028.
Ben Knapton
