City Could Use 42M Summer Recruit As Bait As They Try To Win Race For 39 Cap International

Manchester City could look to offer Kalvin Phillips in a swap deal for West Ham captain Declan Rice, according to reports in England.

Phillips is known to be a long-term target for the Hammers and, despite having only moved to the Etihad last summer for £42m, City are prepared to dispense with his services just a year after signing him.

Rice’s price tag is believed to be between £70m and £85m so adding in Phillips as a makeweight would reduce the cost of recruiting the West Ham talisman significantly.

The England international, who has been capped 39 times by his country, is also attracting interest from the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Including Phillips as part of their offer will undoubtedly make City’s offer more attractive, although it remains to be seen whether Rice is interested in moving to the Etihad. It has been suggested that the 23-year-old would prefer to stay in London, with his former club Chelsea being his favoured destination, but we shall see if that proves to be the case.