Liverpool are considering a shock raid on Manchester City to sign Kalvin Phillips, according to The Athletic‘s James Pearce.

The usually reliable journalist claims that the Reds are having to look at alternatives to Brighton’s £80m rated midfielder Moises Caicedo who is “expected to join Chelsea”, and they are contemplating a move for Phillips as they seek a replacement for Fabinho:

In terms of replacing Fabinho, Moises Caicedo is not viewed as a serious option with the Brighton midfielder expected to join Chelsea.
Romeo Lavia, Sofyan Amrabat, Ryan Gravenberch and Kalvin Phillips are among those under consideration. #LFC https://t.co/6mW8K9awom

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) July 15, 2023

Phillips only joined City from Leeds United for an initial £42m last summer but he has struggled to stay fit, with manager Pep Guardiola even criticising the midfielder for being overweight after returning from the World Cup with England.

The 27-year-old has, though, expressed his determination to prove himself at the Etihad Stadium but it remains to be seen whether Guardiola would be open to letting him leave, considering he barely used the player, even when he was available during the second half of the campaign.

City do lack options in midfield

One factor that may lead to the treble winners keeping Phillips is the club’s lack of depth in the middle of the park. They may have replaced captain Ilkay Gundogan with Mateo Kovacic but there is a feeling that Bernardo Silva could leave before the transfer window shuts as well.

If the Citizens also sell Phillips, it would force the Premier League champions into the market for, at least, two new midfielders, which isn’t really an ideal situation when they are already devoting a lot of resources to recruiting a centre-back in Josko Gvardiol. For the time being, you would back Phillips to remain in Manchester, but it will be interesting to see what happens if Liverpool do make a formal bid for the player.