Pep Guardiola says he'd sell £160k/week ace to Liverpool but Newcastle United are favourites

There may not be any obstacles between Liverpool and Kalvin Phillips based on recent comments from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

Jurgen Klopp is in need of a new defensive midfielder after selling Fabinho in the summer and Phillips has been linked with a controversial move to Anfield.

City, however, have displayed a willingness to do business with their Premier League counterparts, selling the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal.

Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer were also allowed to join Chelsea which, in retrospect, may be a regret after both players got on the scoresheet during Sunday's 4-4 goal fest at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking to the media at his pre-Chelsea press conference, via the Mirror, Pep Guardiola admitted he has no reservations over selling his players to Premier League rivals.

He said: “If they want to go to Chelsea or [Manchester] United or, I don’t know, Liverpool, whatever, what is the problem? They are happy to be there and the club is happy with the transfer.

“The other club is happy with the amount of money they spend, so it is fine. Another player will come to us and we keep going in a good spirit and a good mood.”

Recent Liverpool links to Kalvin Phillips

A report in October suggested the Reds could be one of the clubs in the mix to sign Phillips come January although more recent claims suggest he may be on his way to Newcastle United.

Calciomercato in Italy claims that with Phillips "looking for an adventure", Newcastle are described as "leading the pack" with Juventus also interested.

The report doesn't reveal how much he might cost in the winter window but it does say that between City's asking price and the player's wages, it will be a "complicated" deal to complete in a short January transfer window.

The midfielder reportedly earns £160,000 per week which is steep for a player that has become a benchwarmer in Manchester.