Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola seems to have opened the door for West Ham United to make a January swoop for midfield target Kalvin Phillips.

The Spaniard, speaking in his Friday press conference (20 October) ahead of his side's Premier League game against Brighton on Saturday (21 October) told journalists he doesn't know if the "perfect" England international will be at the club when the January window opens.

The Sun reported on 19 October that West Ham want to sign the former Leeds United man along with German champions Bayern Munich and Newcastle United, who are seeking a loan deal.

Phillips has struggled for game time this season with just three substitute appearances this season despite being allowed to leave in the summer.

Sussex Express reported on 10 October that the England international may well be allowed to leave in the January transfer window with West Ham United among the favourites to seal his signature.

And Guardiola speaking out on Kalvin Phillips' comments during the week that he needs to be playing football to keep on starring for England, seemed to have opened the door for interested parties to make their move.

"Until winter time he will be here, after that I don't know what will happen. When the transfer is open, nobody knows."

Pep Guardiola on Kalvin Phillips' future at Manchester City. pic.twitter.com/L5ObPwSTg6

- Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 20, 2023 View Tweet

He said: "The transfer window is over, now we are here together. When we need a game with transitions or games with something with chaos Kalvin is perfect.

"When there is something you need to do, there are still one or two players who can do it better. That's the simple reason. He will be here until winter. After, I don't know what will happen because nobody knows once the window is open."

Guardiola certainly didn't definitively say that Phillips will leave the Etihad during the January window but he did throw a subtle hint as to what he thinks of his limited role at the club, saying that he's only perfect for transitional scenarios.

Phillips is a quality midfielder but is not offered the game time to prove it. His Manchester City career never took off and he's been lost in the shuffle of their world-class midfield options.

West Ham United certainly could seem like the perfect move for all parties involved but after David Moyes acquired the services of James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez, Phillips could be stuck in a similar situation should he make the move across to East London.

There just doesn't seem to be the space in the squad for Phillips to have a regular and guaranteed role without displacing a standout player.

However, should Tomas Soucek depart the London Stadium in the near future, after recent transfer interest from Italy (CalcioMercato, 18 October) it won't be a surprise to see Moyes make the swoop for Phillips who would certainly add more steel and class to their play but also considerably improve the quality in the squad.

West Ham United can certainly never have enough quality in their squad, especially with the ambitious European aspirations both at domestic level and in the Europa League.

Just how much of an impact will the qualities of Phillips have on those lofty plans?

In other West Ham news, one "exceptional" Premier League defender was top of David Moyes' transfer wishlist for the January window before a recent development this week.

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