£42m PL star snubs Newcastle United interest as Man City and Liverpool eye £80m midfielder battle

Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is seemingly edging ever closer to a move to Italian giants Juventus, despite widespread Premier League interest in the player. The England international is expected to leave the Etihad on loan in the coming weeks, and had been attracting interest from the likes of Newcastle United, among others.

But the Daily Mail report that the 28-year-old is open to a 'new experience' in Serie A, and as such is set to agree to a temporary stint in Turin as he seeks regular first team opportunities ahead of next summer's Euro 2024 championships. Over a dozen clubs from England and the continent are understood to have expressed some kind of interest in the £42 million star, but as things stand, Juve remain his most likely destination.

The 3AM Verdict: This could be a really smart move for Phillips, not only because it has the potential to kickstart his ailing career, but also because you can't help feeling that the Italian game could really suit his profile as a player. Some of the midfielder's best traits are his reading of the game and his distribution, and traditionally, they have been strengths that have really shone in Serie A. Here's hoping this can be the boost that Phillips has been crying out for.

City eye Palhinha

With Phillips seemingly on his way out of the Etihad, Man City could be compelled into buying a new midfielder in January, with talkSPORT suggesting that the Premier League champions have joined the long list of suitors considering swoops for Fulham star Joao Palhinha. The 28-year-old came within a whisker of signing for Bayern Munich over the summer, and it is understood that the German giants could look to rekindle that interest in the coming weeks.

Bayern may, however, be rivalled by the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, and now City, who are all monitoring the player ahead of prospective big money swoops. While Palhinha almost left West London for around £60 million a few months ago, his price tag may have inflated substantially since then, with claims that Fulham could hold out for as much as £80 million this time around.

The 3AM Verdict: Whoever eventually signs Palhinha is going to be securing themselves a truly special talent. The midfielder has been sublime since arriving in the Premier League, and continues to go from strength to strength at Craven Cottage. Frighteningly, you can fully imagine him in a Manchester City shirt, and who knows what heights he could reach under Pep Guardiola.

Sancho offered escape route

And finally, Manchester United pariah Jadon Sancho could be offered a way out of his limbo this January, with Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig interested in battling former club Borussia Dortmund for his services. The winger has not played for the Red Devils since going through a very public falling out with manager Erik ten Hag, and the chances of him featuring at Old Trafford again while the Dutchman is in the dugout appear slim.

As such, a winter exit could be on the cards, with Bild reporting that Leipzig are the latest club to consider a swoop for the attacking outcast. There are suggestions, however, that they may struggle to pay his £17 million annual salary, potentially casting doubt over any prospective deal. Barcelona and Juventus are also said to be monitoring developments. 

The 3AM Verdict: Sancho needs to get out of his current situation, that much is for sure, and to be fair, he could do an awful lot worse than a move to any of the clubs mentioned above. Whether anything comes to pass in January remains to be seen, but the sooner he and United part ways, the better for all concerned.