Newcastle United disappointed in pursuit of Calvin Phillips

Calvin Phillips was an unused substitute in Manchester City's FA Cup final win at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Credit: Getty Images/Eddie Keogh

Newcastle United suffered a setback at the start of their summer recruiting campaign after they were told that England international Calvin Phillips intended to stay at Manchester City despite a disappointing first season.

Newcastle identified Phillips as a target a few weeks ago and believed he could be available for a transfer but were disappointed by the reaction of the player's camp.

Telegraph Sport understands that Phillips is not wants to give up City and wants to challenge himself to succeed under Josep Guardiola.

Phillips has only started two Premier League matches since his £42m move from Leeds United last July, with two more starts ahead of domestic cup competition. Of his 23 appearances, 16 came on as a substitute.

The 27-year-old, who remains an important England international for Gareth Southgate, was an unused substitute in Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester United.

< p>Instead of leaving a club that is close to winning, Philips wants to fight for a bigger role next season after winning a treble ahead of the Champions League final against Inter Milan next weekend.

It's not unusual for Guardiola to delay making new signings a prominent role in the squad, and Phillips believes he can follow the example of Jack Grealish, who also struggled to get into City's starting XI just after his move from » Aston Villa for £100 million.< /p> Jack Grealish (left) struggled initially after moving from Aston Villa but has since thrived under Pep Guardiola. Photo: Getty Images /Tom Flathers

The situation could change if City decide to transfer the player this summer and Newcastle ask to be kept up to date.

It remains unclear whether Guardiola sees Phillips as a long-term solution in the center of his midfield, given how little playing time he has received this season.

If Phillips is allowed to find a new club, it will likely be stiff competition from sides from other Premier League clubs, but one of manager Eddie Howe's priorities is finding a new deep-lying midfielder.

Phillips looks like someone who would fit in well with Newcastle's system, but the deal hasn't progressed at this stage .

Newcastle are on the market with two new midfielders this summer and other targets include Nice's Chefren Thuram, Brighton's Moises Caicedo and Southampton's Romeo Lavia. Leicester City's James Maddison is also of great interest to Newcastle's recruiting team.

One player who will not join Newcastle this summer is Celta Vigo midfielder Gabry Veiga. Reports from Spain said that Newcastle were in preliminary talks with the player, but this was denied by several sources in St James' Park who denied the player would be heading to Tyneside.