Wolves target January transfer for Manchester City midfielder | OneFootball

Manchester City could yet field Premier League interest for out-of-favour central midfielder Kalvin Phillips in the 2026 January transfer window, as per reports.

Phillips was heavily linked with a permanent exit from the Etihad Stadium in the recent transfer window but an injury at the back end of the 2024-25 campaign derailed interest from suitor clubs and killed any chances of a transfer.

The 29-year-old has endured a difficult time at Manchester City since his £45 million switch from boyhood club Leeds United, having attempted to revitalise his club career during loan spells at West Ham and Ipswich Town during his three-and-a-half year stint at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola has deemed the Yorkshireman as surplus to requirements and there is next to no chance for Phillips to return to favour at the Etihad Stadium, having failed to impress and meet the standards set by the Catalan manager at Manchester City.

Phillips has played very little this season and those minutes have come in the Carabao Cup, where Guardiola has allowed the former Leeds United star to step up his match fitness and get going again in the backdrop of a disappointing 2024-25 season on loan at Ipswich Town.

Manchester City underwent a significant overhaul of their first-team dressing room in the recent window upon the appointment of Hugo Viana as director of football, with the Portuguese signing off on a series of notable exits in his first summer in charge at the Etihad Stadium.

City bolstered their defensive midfield ranks with the £50 million acquisition of Nico Gonzalez from Porto in January and the 23-year-old has certainly proved to be worth every penny so far this season, having put in a series of excellent, no-nonsense displays in the middle of the park as Rodri makes his way back to full fitness after a difficult 12 months with injury.

The Blues are not expected to be nearly as active in the January 2026 window as they were in the summer – when Viana added seven new names to the Manchester City first-team ranks – though executives at the Etihad Stadium will be closely monitoring the market for any openings that could bolster Guardiola’s squad for the second half of the season.

City are also likely to listen to offers for Phillips in January, with the Leeds-born midfielder in desperate need of a fresh start to revitalise his career after what has unarguably been a disappointing time in Manchester.

According to the information of Football Insider, Wolves have set their sights on Phillips ahead of the January transfer window, and will explore both loan and permanent deals for the Englishman.

Phillips has little chance of breaking into the England squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and given he was a regular for the Three Lions at the 2021 European Championships, the midfielder will be hoping that a new challenge can give him the platform to play his way back into the National Team conversation.

Manchester City could look to add reinforcements to their midfield come January should Guardiola and his coaching staff feel Rodri cannot contribute to the levels he would like to – with the Blues looking set to mount a genuine challenge for the Premier League title.