Dan Ashworth has already explained why possible Kalvin Phillips transfer is perfect for Newcastle United

Newcastle United sporting chief Dan Ashworth may have already explained why the timing is right for Newcastle United to sign Kalvin Phillips. The Manchester City star has been heavily linked with a move to St james' Park this January having struggled for game time since making the switch to Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola has already admitted that he does not see Phillips in his plans, while the midfielder has also spoken about the need to play regular football ahead of this summer's Euro 2024, with Gareth Southgate making it clear he will prioritise players who go into the tournament fit and firing.

Juventus have been linked with a move for Phillips, while Newcastle are also said to be interested if they can agree a loan deal, which City will prefer given they will want to avoid losing money on their £50million investment. The Telegraph's Luke Edwards has claimed that Phillips is 'very keen' on a move to St James' Park and that Magpies chiefs will discuss how they can skirt FFP rules to get a deal done.

Whether the loan deal could include a future purchase option is another question, and it might just suit Newcastle to move now based on sporting director Ashworth's approach. Ashworth told The Telegraph recently of Newcastle's transfer strategy: "We’ve got this challenge as a whole football club. The more revenue we can drive, the more income we can get and the easier it is to be more competitive because the budget, the playing budget is able to be increased.

“It’s also about making the most of the resources that we’ve got so we can acquire players below market value and acquire potential players rather than performance players. So players who maybe are younger that we see a huge amount of potential in. It’s about opening up pathways for the academy players too.

“We’ll adjust our budgets if we haven’t got Champions League revenue and we’ll adjust our budgets if we’ve got Europa League revenue. You make sure you plan well enough so you know what you can and can’t do depending on the revenue that’s coming in and that’s normal."

The standout line in that interview was 'below market value', and that's where Phllips comes into the discussion. The midfielder joined City for £50million, and since then, his market value has dropped considerably. According to Transfermarkt, Phillips' value has dropped from £43.2million to just £24.2million. This may well be the best time to sign the 28-year-old, whose value is likely to increase when he is playing regular football, while he can also increase his value with a strong Euro 2024 performance should he make it on the plane.