Liverpool planning a move for Manchester City star signed for £50m last summer

Liverpool eye a move for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips

According to Alex Crook for the Talksport (h/t Liverpool Echo), Liverpool are eyeing a move for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips during this transfer window.

It is also revealed that the Reds had been tracking the progress of the England international since the time he was a Leeds United player.

Phillips signed for City last summer for a deal worth around £50m. Since then, he has struggled for regular game time under Pep Guardiola.

Liverpool are eyeing a move for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

When teams returned to domestic action after the World Cup in the middle of last season, Guardiola publicly stated that the midfielder is overweight and needs to do a lot more to break into the team.

The 27-year-old has only played 593 minutes of football for the treble winners so far. He is yet to make an appearance this season.

For a player who was a regular in the Leeds team under a demanding manager like Marcelo Bielsa, fitness cannot be that much of an issue, can it?

Phillips has struggled for regular game time under Pep Guardiola. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

There might be a case that he is not up to the standards Guardiola wants. Given the Euros is coming up at the end of this season, the player has to find a way to play games to force his way into the England side.

Could Liverpool benefit from having Phillips? Possibly so. At 27, he is the peak stage of his career. A manager like Jurgen Klopp can restore confidence in him in a short space of time.

The Englishman is capable of playing as a sole defensive midfielder or in a double pivot. When in form, he is an excellent reader of the game and has a fantastic range to his passing.