Manchester City flop offers himself to Barcelona to get career back on track: Reports

Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips has offered himself to Spanish giants Barcelona in an attempt to get his career back on track, according to SPORT. The midfielder has suffered a slew of injuries and a huge dip in form which have reportedly seen him drop out of manager Pep Guardiola's plans.

After impressing in the Premier League with Leeds United, City snapped Phillips up for a reported €49 million at the start of the 2022-23 season. However, he immediately suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out of action for 18 games between August and November 2022.

On his return, he couldn't find a way into the starting lineup, making only 21 appearances (four starts) across all competitions in City's 2022-23 treble-winning campaign.

With the arrival of Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes for a reported €29.1 million and €62 million, respectively, Phillips made just 10 appearances (two starts) in the first half of the season.

The midfielder was loaned out to fellow Premier League side West Ham United in the January transfer window to recoup his lost form. However, he was inconsistent throughout the spell, as he made just 10 appearances (three starts) across all competitions for the Hammers.

With Oriol Romeu and Frenkie de Jong expected to leave the club, Barcelona are reportedly looking for a defensive midfielder in the upcoming transfer window. Everton's Amadou Onana, Nice's Khephren Thuram and Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich are said to be their top targets.

The Catalan giants, however, are embroiled in financial struggles and are expected to part ways with many squad players before being active in the market. If the other targets become financially improbable, Phillips could be a cut-price option and could potentially become a solid squad player for the Blaugrana.

Barcelona weighing up a move for 25-year-old La Liga defensive midfielder - Reports

According to reports from Mundo Deportivo (via Barca Universal), Barcelona are weighing up a move for 25-year-old Pepelu from fellow La Liga outfit Valencia.

The defensive midfielder moved to the Estadio Mestalla from city rivals Levante for a reported €5 million at the start of the 2023-24 campaign. He enjoyed a brilliant first season at the club, with eight goals and an assist in 39 appearances across all competitions.

Barca's scouts are said to be highly impressed by his physicality, aerial prowess and brilliant passing vision. They reportedly see him as the perfect pivot in new manager Hansi Flick's system at the club.

Pepelu is currently valued at €16 million (via Transfermarkt). If the Blaugrana do part ways with stars like Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong, they could become financially capable of making a substantial offer to Valencia for his services.