On Monday, Gazzetta dello Sport had a lengthy article about Juventus’ interest in Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips after Pep Guardiola made it clear the England international was no longer part of his plans.
The idea would be for the Turin side to bring him in for six months, but there were some doubts about his ability to adapt to Italian football quickly to impact his new team directly.
A meeting between Manchester City and the Serie A side was being planned, and Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday have a bit more information about the situation.
It’s said the two clubs are ‘ready to see each other again’ and the aforementioned summit is ‘expected to be imminent’, potentially as early as this weekend.
The idea from Manchester City’s end is to judge how interested Juventus still are, having already had a chat with them last month in a conversation that saw the Turin side gaining ‘virtual pole position’ in their eyes, seeing as they would rather send Phillips abroad than strengthen an English team.
The Italians, down their end, would likely want the Premier League side to ‘participate in the partial payment of his salary’ to make the deal as appetising as possible, fully aware of how much the 28-year-old is earning at the Etihad.
Juventus, having lost Nicolò Fagioli to a betting ban and Paul Pogba because of a doping investigation, need some midfielders in January, and Giovanni Manna admitted the next transfer window will see them make a few moves.
He said: “The squad was designed with two more players. If opportunities arise on the market, we will be ready.”
And that’s what Kalvin Phillips is for them: an opportunity.
