One of the more persistent transfer rumours this summer suggests that Everton are still interested in taking Manchester City flop Kalvin Phillips on loan, as was mooted at the end of May.
Teamtalk are one of numerous less reliable sources to claim that the Etihad outcast is one of Sean Dyche’s top targets to bolster Everton’s lacklustre midfield before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
Pep Guardiola seemed to decide pretty quickly last season that the former England star wasn’t going to play any meaningful part in his successful title defence as the former Leeds Utd player was limited to just 4 late sub appearances in the Premier League before he was sent off on loan to West Ham for the second half of the season.
He fared slightly better at The Hammers under David Moyes, who at least started him on 3 occasions and gave him 5 more runs from the bench. But picking up two yellow cards within 3 minutes at Nottingham Forest presaged fewer involvements, with just one 15-minute sub appearance in the last 2 months.
Reportedly on a weekly salary of around £150k, it would seem unlikely that the 28-year-old could be incorporated into Everton’s less generous wage structure unless a substantial portion continues to be provided by The Citizens.