During his time at Leeds, Phillips made 234 appearances and played a crucial role in the club's promotion to the Premier League in 2020, ending a 16-year absence from England's top flight. However, the midfielder has struggled to establish himself with Manchester City, starting only two Premier League matches in the 2022-23 season.
According to The Independent, Manchester City would be open to loaning Phillips in the January transfer window if he continues to face limited playing time at the Etihad. It is understood that the European champions would only consider temporary loan offers for the England international, with the expectation that he would return to Manchester at the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign.
The report suggests that while Phillips is determined to compete for a regular spot at Manchester City, he will have the opportunity to move to another club for the second half of the season if his playing time does not improve before January.
Newcastle United is believed to be interested in adding Phillips to their squad if he becomes available at the start of 2024. Under the ownership of Saudi Arabia, Eddie Howe's team is undergoing a transformation, although they have only managed to collect three points from their first four Premier League fixtures. Their challenging start to the season has included matches against Manchester City, Liverpool, and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Currently sitting in 14th place in the league table, Newcastle United faces a formidable challenge, while Manchester City is the only team to have won all four of their matches so far. Despite his limited playing time, Phillips made a brief appearance in the 5-1 victory over Fulham last weekend, where Erling Haaland's hat-trick and a promising debut by Jeremy Doku took the spotlight. Phillips may be in line for his first start of the season in the coming week, as he has been selected by Gareth Southgate in England's squad for matches against Ukraine and Scotland.
Despite being on the fringes of first-team action at Manchester City, Phillips has remained a regular figure for his national team due to England's long-standing depth issues in defensive midfield.
