greener
Player Valuation: £1m
Personally I think City would be happy with no fee and just getting his wages off the books.
His time at West Ham massively impacts his value or perceived value in the market. As such, if I were Man City and had him on a contract for another 2/3 years or whatever it is - I would want him to go somewhere this season he can get regular games (us more than Villa) and hope with game time he improves to the point someone will pay £10-15m for him next summer (i.e. Leeds if they do come back up).
No. City just don't do this.
They maintain a tough approach as much of their sustainability is built on loaning / then selling players.
They'll take a hit on Philips by keeping him rather than screw the system.