Kalvin Phillips could warn Declan Rice off moving to Manchester City this summer.
That was the suggestion from journalist Rory Smith, speaking on The Monday Night Club yesterday, amid speculation about the West Ham United star’s future.
The season is almost over and talk is about to pick up tenfold over Rice.
The expectation is that he will finally leave West Ham this summer, after developing into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
West Ham value Rice at £100 million (Daily Mail).
Whether any club wants to go near that asking price this summer remains to be seen.
His contract with West Ham does expire in the summer of 2024.
City are thought to be in the mix to sign Rice, with Pep Guardiola reportedly a big admirer of the England international.
Indeed, the Spaniard has branded Rice ‘exceptional’.
There will be strong competition for him. Apparently, Arsenal are also very keen on the player.
Rice was the topic of conversation on the Monday Night Club, with former Premier League midfielder Charlie Adam suggesting he could go wherever this summer.
Chris Sutton then asked if Rice would get on City’s team.
Journalist Smith then said: “I think Kalvin Phillips might warn him against going to Manchester City. It might mean a year of sitting on the bench.”
Declan Rice would not suffer a lack of minutes for Manchester City if he signed, like Kalvin Phillips has
We know that Guardiola absolutely loves Rodri and plays him all the time.
But if City signed Rice this summer, he would likely get decent game time at the Etihad Stadium.
We have seen in recent times that Rice’s game has evolved. He is no longer the player that just sits in front of the back four.
He can do that, of course. But he has traits that mean he can easily operate as a number eight.
Guardiola has publicly praised Rice on more than one occasion. You get the feeling that he would not give him the Kalvin Phillips treatment if he was able to bring him to the club.
