Newcastle have suffered an early setback in their summer recruitment drive after they were informed that Kalvin Phillips intends to stay at Manchester City, according to the Telegraph.
Newcastle identified Phillips as a target several weeks ago and were led to believe he could be made available for transfer, but have been frustrated by the response from the player’s camp.
It is understood that Phillips does not want to give up on City and wants to challenge himself to succeed under Pep Guardiola.
Phillips only started two Premier games after his £42m move from Leeds in July last year, with another two starts coming in domestic cup competitions.
