West Ham United have set their sights on a new defensive midfielder this summer – Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips.

Is Kalvin Phillips going to join West Ham?

After a debut season at the Etihad that was plagued by injury and fitness concerns, Phillips had to endure some tough times last campaign. For the most part, he could only sit and watch as his teammates went on to win the treble, managing only 593 minutes across all competitions for Man City.

Despite this, journalist Dean Jones has stated that West Ham are interested in signing the 27-year-old, perhaps offering him a second chance at a fresh start.

Discussing Declan Rice's potential move to the Premier League champions, Jones told The Football Terrace YouTube channel: "I think that is another factor that comes into this equation that we have to weigh up. And one that for West Ham it would absolutely appeal to. I know that we're talking about £100m here all the time in terms of the figure."

"Man City have a player that they're interested in. So maybe there is some manoeuvring that could be done here."

Whether Phillips would be used as a makeweight in Man City's push to sign Rice is unclear, but with Rodri already ahead of the Englishman in the pecking order, and Mateo Kovacic's imminent arrival at the Etihad, Phillips may consider a move away to aid his opportunities of getting first-team football.

The £150k-per-week England international is a firm favourite of Gareth Southgate's, but the England boss may have a dilemma over selecting him for the 2024 European Championship if he endures another season of minimal game time. This could be of benefit to West Ham, who could certainly promise him regular minutes.

Why would West Ham want Phillips?

Ignoring Phillips' stuttering performances last season, which were adversely affected by injuries, it is clear to see why West Ham would be interested in the holding midfielder. Dubbed the "Yorkshire Pirlo" during his time at Leeds United, Phillips quickly established himself as a top-quality Premier League player.

Analysing his debut Premier League season with Leeds, it is obvious why Manchester City, and now West Ham, love him so much.

While his short passing is only slightly above average (88.7% accuracy), his long and medium passing sets him apart from others. Compared to Premier League midfielders during the 2020/21 season, he was in the top 4% for long passes completed per 90 (8.15) and the top 20% for medium passes completed per 90 (21.61).

His ability to play long diagonal passes out to the wing made him a great asset for Leeds, and teamed with his defensive work it made him a phenomenal all-round midfielder.

Defensively, during the 2020/21 season, he was in the top 15% or higher per 90 for tackles (2.74), blocks (1.82), clearances (1.96) and tackles in the defensive third (1.41). Considering Phillips featured in a mid-table Leeds side during that campaign, it's obvious to see why the midfielder is in such high demand.

Watch more of The Football Terrace HERE!