Manchester City are reportedly prepared to demand as much as £50m to let midfield outcast Kalvin Phillips leave the club next year.
The former Leeds United man has failed to live up to expectations at the Etihad since arriving in 2022, making just 27 appearances and failing to register a single goal or assist.
A severe shoulder injury hampered Phillips in his debut season, but even when fully fit, the England international has been unable to break up the Citizens' established midfield order.
Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne were already preferred to Phillips, and City reacted to Ilkay Gundogan's exit by completing the double signing of Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic this summer.
With John Stones and Rico Lewis also being trusted to play in the centre of the park, opportunities have remained scarce for Phillips, who has played just 167 minutes of club football in six appearances so far this season.
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The 27-year-old has only made one start - playing 90 minutes in an EFL Cup loss to Newcastle United - and he has been an unused substitute in each of Man City's last three Premier League matches.
Phillips is not due to become a free agent until the summer of 2028, but he is already being tipped to bid his farewells from the Etihad with Euro 2024 on the horizon.
Both Phillips and Pep Guardiola have refused to rule out a departure next year, but according to The Mirror, Man City are still optimistic of making a profit on the £42m they paid for him last year.
The Premier League and European champions will supposedly inform potential suitors that it will take as much as £50m to prise the Englishman away from the Etihad, given the brimming interest in his services.
Phillips was heavily linked with a summer move to West Ham United as Declan Rice's successor, and Man City were supposedly ready to let him leave for £40m before he outlined his desire to get into Guardiola's good books.
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However, with no sign of an imminent revival, Man City want to take advantage of the intense fight for his services, and Phillips is also keen to jump ship for the sake of his England career.
Newcastle United are currently considered one of the frontrunners for the ex-Leeds man, having lost Sandro Tonali for the rest of the season to a 10-month betting suspension, although the Magpies may only be able to afford loan deals in January.
Juventus - another interested party - are in a similar position, as Nicolo Fagioli has been slapped with a seven-month ban, while Paul Pogba is waiting to hear the outcome of his doping case after testing positive for abnormal levels of testosterone.
West Ham could apparently go back in for Phillips too, while Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Everton have also been credited with an interest in the out-of-favour lynchpin.
Despite his lack of domestic action, Phillips started England's 3-1 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Italy earlier this month, although he was booked in the ninth minute and came off with 20 minutes left to play.
Ben Knapton
