Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has reportedly vetoed the idea of a January move for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
The England international is expected to head for the exit door during the winter window after being deemed surplus to requirements by Citizens head coach Pep Guardiola.
Phillips has turned out just 10 times for the treble winners in the 2023-24 campaign - scoring once against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League - and has not started a single Premier League game.
Juventus were understood to have been the frontrunners for Phillips's signature during the January market, and it was recently claimed that talks had been held over a potential loan agreement.
The Old Lady's midfield ranks have been weakened by Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli's respective bans for off-field misdemeanours, as the latter is serving a seven-month suspension for betting offences.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, Pogba tested positive for non-endogenous testosterone earlier this season, and while the length of his suspension is yet to be determined, anti-doping prosecutors have requested the maximum penalty of a four-year ban.
Engine room additions will therefore be priority number one for Juve in January, but according to Calciomercato, Allegri is not sold on the idea of bringing Phillips to the Allianz Stadium.
For what it is worth, the former Leeds United man has already given the thumbs-up to a switch to Serie A, as has Guardiola, who is more than happy to let Phillips leave on loan for the second half of the campaign.
Phillips's agent is already believed to have made contact with Juventus, but the report claims that no official negotiations have started due to Allegri's doubts over a transfer.
The Bianconeri head coach allegedly feels that the 28-year-old would not be good fit for his system and is instead favouring a move for Tottenham Hotspur's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who has also struggled for Premier League game time this season.
© Reuters
Hojbjerg has supposedly been told that he is free to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in January, in spite of the fact that Senegal's Pape Sarr and Mali's Yves Bissouma are due to leave for the African Cup of Nations next month.
With Rodrigo Bentancur also nursing an ankle injury, Tottenham are unlikely to let Hojbjerg depart without signing a replacement, although they are now rumoured to be closing in on the capture of Chelsea's Conor Gallagher.
Should Juventus indeed opt to pursue Hojbjerg, the door could be open for Newcastle United to swoop for Phillips, and the Magpies are supposedly optimistic about striking an agreement with Man City.
Phillips has just the one goal to show from 31 appearances in a Man City shirt since leaving Leeds in 2022, and his contract with the treble winners does not expire for another four-and-a-half years.
However, having played just 89 minutes of Premier League football this season, Phillips is yearning for more top-flight minutes in the second half of the campaign with Euro 2024 on the horizon.
Ben Knapton
