As a star’s desire creates a £40 million Premier League swap agreement, a big Man City signing for 2024 takes form

Lucas Paqueta, a midfielder for West Ham United, is still interested in joining Manchester City in 2024, and Kalvin Phillips might make a switch, according to rumors.

Paqueta was on the verge of moving to Manchester City this summer when the deal was shelved. Although his contract with West Ham expires in 2027, his current employers may need to prepare for increased interest before then.

The Sun reports that Paqueta is still hoping to transfer to Man City in 2024. He would probably have to wait until the end of the campaign to fulfill his ambition.

But if Man City thinks his £85 million release clause is a good deal, they can forgo talks with West Ham.

Additionally, they might sell Kalvin Phillips to West Ham, where he still has supporters despite a drop in playing time since leaving Leeds United, according to another report from Football Insider.

Man City wants its £45 million investment back in order to approve the Phillips sale, which could happen as early as January.

In other words, for a net cost of £40 million, they could convince Paqueta and Phillips to switch teams, even if it happened during different transfer periods.

Football Insider claims that Phillips would think West Ham would be a suitable fit. They are not, however, his sole suitors because Newcastle is also mentioned.

Man City might not be able to pull through the postponed part-exchange deal as a result. In addition, TEAMtalk recently reported that the Hammers seek to amend Paqueta’s leave clause and prolong his contract. However, in a perfect world, everyone could like the moves.

Was Phillips’ situation improved at West Ham?
Phillips is currently in his second season with his current team, similar to Paqueta. The Englishman’s situation has fared far worse than the Brazilian’s, though.

Phillips is still under contract with Man City through 2028, but he is beginning to realize that it would be best for them to part ways given his playing possibilities are so limited.

But it’s also possible to question if he’d fare any better at West Ham. They acquired James Ward-Prowse from Southampton and Edson Alvarez from Ajax this summer after selling Declan Rice to Arsenal.

Given that they are different types of midfielders, even the likely sale of Paqueta might not create a natural opening for Phillips.

However, the 27-year-old’s situation cannot get any worse as Pep Guardiola continues to ignore him, so he will need to weigh all of his choices.