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Arsenal is said to be interested in signing Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips in a future transfer window.
Mikel Arteta made a huge addition to the engine room this summer when he signed West Ham United’s Declan Rice.
When fit, the England international will likely start with Martin Odegaard and one other player, with Thomas Partey, Kai Havertz, and Fabio Vieira the most frequently used possibilities.
However, with Partey having had minor injury difficulties throughout his time at the Emirates Stadium and Mohamed Elneny out with a knee injury, Arteta does not have a long-term defensive option.
Jorginho is now serving as a backup, although the Italy international has only played 77 minutes in five appearances across all competitions in 2023-24.
Furthermore, despite having settled in London, the former Chelsea man has less than a year left on his contract and there looks to be little chance of an extension being inked.
According to Fichajes, Arteta has already considered signing Phillips as a long-term successor.
The former Leeds United man has just begun his second season at the Etihad Stadium, where he has been limited to substitute appearances.
Although the England international is set to replace the suspended Rodri in upcoming domestic matches, the 27-year-old has only played 52 minutes in three appearances across all competitions.
Phillips emphasized over the summer that he was committed to gaining regular game time under Pep Guardiola, who has yet to reward him in that regard.
According to the article, even though Phillips is under contract with last season’s treble winners until 2028, Man City may struggle to recuperate the £45 million spent on his signing in 2022.
Arsenal are no strangers to doing business with City, having bought Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus last year, and Guardiola has previously stated that if a reasonable offer is made, he will not stand in the way of dissatisfied players.
Phillips is poised to make his first City start of the season when the club faces Newcastle United in the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
