Newcastle United may have second chance to sign £42m summer target whose future is ‘increasingly uncertain’

Newcastle United secured some statement deals during the transfer window as they look to push for another top four fight in the Premier League this season. Eddie Howe’s marquee signing of the summer was Sandro Tonali, who joined from AC Milan for £55 million and set the tone for the rest of the window.

Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento and Yankuba Minteh all made the move to Newcastle on permanent deals, while Lewis Hall has signed a one-year loan deal from Chelsea.

While they were able to bring in important reinforcements, it wouldn’t be a transfer window without some failed moves. Like the rest of the Premier League, the Magpies did miss out on some targets along the way as they navigated through their list of priorities.

One man who was linked to a Newcastle switch was Kalvin Phillips, whose domestic career since arriving at Manchester City has hit quite a slump. The midfielder was a key part of the Leeds United set-up before his £42 million move to the champions, but in his debut season, he made just 12 league appearances and only two of them were starts.

However, despite having a fair bit of interest registered over the summer, including from Newcastle and Liverpool, Phillips has opted to stay at City and fight for more opportunities. But according to a report from The i, his future is ‘increasingly uncertain.’

Newcastle were mentioned as one of the main potential suitors for the 27-year-old but his determination and City’s apparent reluctance to write him off after such an investment has seemingly kept him where he is. However, with Euro 2024 fast approaching, Phillips will need some more game-time to give himself the best pitch for call-up.

The report suggests he is likely to ‘push’ for a loan move in January to get as many minutes on the board as possible, and Newcastle remain on the list of teams interested in his services.