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Unai Emery has set his sights on former England international Kalvin Phillips as Villa are said to have lodged an official bid to loan him for the season.

The Villans, still keen on bringing in another central player to add depth and a variety of attributes, appear to have turned their attention to Phillips.

Football Insider reports a loan offer has already been submitted for the Manchester City man. The Cityzens would prefer to sell Phillips permanently but are happy to make do with a temporary move away if there are no other options.

Once one of the Premier League’s most highly sort-after midfielders, the 28-year-old has struggled in recent campaigns. Phillips was signed from Leeds United in 2022 for a whopping £45 million but he hasn’t lived up to the price tag at all.

A loan to West Ham United last season didn’t help matters, either, as the Leeds academy graduate played merely 320 minutes across all competitions. The total game time for Man City has been similar as Phillips has totted up just 914 minutes, with only 380 of those in the Premier League.

Villa could potentially offer a route out, though, with Emery terrific at getting the best out of players when they’re out of form. Everton could be another option as the Toffees are said to hold a strong interest this summer, potentially even for a permanent move.

In other West Midlands transfer news, Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly keen on signing Crystal Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. Journalist Alan Nixon claims - via his Patreon page - that Wolves hold an interest alongside Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Bournemouth.

Johnstone, who has four caps for England to his name, had two separate temporary stints at Villa Park and played 70 games altogether. West Brom then snapped him up on a permanent basis in 2018 and he spent four years at The Hawthorns before joining the Eagles, with Wolves now linked with a swoop as they hunt for some new faces.