Clubs hoping to sign Kalvin Phillips are waiting for Manchester City to drop their demands for a £7m loan fee. Crystal Palace, Newcastle and West Ham are tracking the midfielder, while there is also interest from Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Juventus. Phillips has struggled since joining City from Leeds 18 months ago and is under pressure to secure a move this month. The 28-year-old has not started a Premier League game this season and needs to play regularly to ensure he is part of England’s Euro 2024 squad. But the cost attached to loaning Phillips could scupper his hopes of a move. Interested parties are reluctant to pay £7m for a player who will be with them for less than half a season. There is hope that the fee will drop as the transfer deadline approaches, with Phillips clearly not part of Pep Guardiola’s plans. He is a regular England international and his struggle to establish himself at City has not stopped clubs chasing him. Newcastle’s injury crisis has prompted them to look for a midfielder and West Ham have a long-term interest in Phillips. David Moyes tried to buy him from Leeds in January 2022. Phillips will want a guarantee of regular football. An issue at West Ham could be that they already have Edson Alvárez, James Ward-Prowse, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paquetá as midfield options. Palace have space after losing Cheikh Doucouré with a long-term injury, while Barça and Atlético can offer Champions League football.