Fernandinho will be 37 by the time his contract expires next summer, so Manchester City need to plan for his eventual departure.
The Sky Blues eyed potential replacements for the Brazilian international but made little progress luring them to the Etihad Stadium. Links with Ismael Bennacer, Denis Zakaria, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Douglas Luiz and Mahmoud Dahoud went nowhere so City are turning their attentions elsewhere.
Fichajes say the Premier League champions are ‘lining up’ a move for Kalvin Phillips and may be able to sign him for £26m.