Newcastle United missed out, but West Ham United have come out on top.
West Ham is gearing up to welcome a new midfielder to their team for the remainder of the season. This player was long thought to be on his way to Newcastle United, but now it seems he will be joining the Hammers instead.
Kalvin Phillips is now set to join West Ham on loan from Manchester City, after Newcastle decided to pull back on their pursuit of the 28-year-old.
It appeared that Phillips would be making the move to St James’ Park this month, but negotiations fell through due to Manchester City’s demands.
They were asking for a £5million loan fee, along with an obligation to buy in the summer. Newcastle ultimately found these terms unworkable, but West Ham seems to have been able to negotiate with Manchester City to ease their demands.
In the summer, West Ham will have the option to purchase Kalvin Phillips, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. This option gives them the choice to buy Phillips if they see fit, without being obligated to do so. This essentially creates a ‘try before you buy’ scenario.
This sort of situation would have likely been ideal for Newcastle, as they were hesitant to commit to an obligation to purchase Phillips, especially since they are already set to spend £28million on Lewis Hall.
However, West Ham has achieved what Newcastle could not. They were able to persuade Manchester City to lower their demands and secure the signing of a player who has been linked with Newcastle all month.
As the search for a new midfielder continues on Tyneside, it may have to be put on hold until the summer transfer window. Eddie Howe’s team is facing difficulties in securing new signings, and the manager will undoubtedly be disappointed to see one of his top targets join a rival Premier League team.
