Journalist Mark Ogden has suggested that Manchester City could use Kalvin Phillips as part of a potential swap deal to sign Declan Rice.
Yesterday, it was claimed that the Manchester club are exploring the possibility of making a move to sign the West Ham United captain after Arsenal had an offer of £80m plus add-ons rejected for him.
With these two clubs linked with the Englishman in mind, one journalist has been weighing up the pair in terms what could be the ideal next destination for the midfielder.
Journalist assesses Rice transfer
Speaking in a recent episode of BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast, Ogden said this about the potential options Rice has in front of him in terms of either joining Arsenal or City.
He said: “It’d be a tricky one, I think, for Declan because I think if you go to Man City, you’re guaranteed trophies at the moment but he won’t play every week.
When asked if City could use Kalvin Phillips in a potential swap deal to land the Hammers captain, who has been described as a “very good finisher” by Tomas Soucek, Ogden added this.
He said: “I think there is definitely scope for that. I think Kalvin Phillips needs to get a move, I think he started his first Premier League game of the season on the last day of the season or the week before so Kalvin Phillips needs to move but it depends [on] what Declan Rice wants, do you want to be a guy that wins trophies at a big club [like] Man City, or does he want to be the main man at a big club that might win trophies, which is Arsenal?”
Taking into account hoe Pep Guardiola’s side recently won their fifth Premier League title in six years as well as the FA Cup and Champions League, this backs up Ogden’s point about City being a place that would give Rice a stromg chance of getting his hands on some silverware.
In terms of Phillips, bearing in mind how West Ham tried to sign him in the January before he made his move to the Etihad Stadium last summer, the potential inclusion of him in a possible swap deal is something that may appeal to the east London club.
Moving forward, we feel that if the European champions feel they need to add the Hammers captain to their squad, they should do all they can to convince the player that this would be the best next step for his career.
