Sheffield United remain keen on bringing Kalvin Phillips back to Bramall Lane, but developments at Manchester City could yet complicate a potential deal.
Sheffield United will be keeping a close eye on developments over the Pennines at Manchester City this summer as they prepare to step up their bid to bring Kalvin Phillips back to Bramall Lane. The former England international is a top target of boss Chris Wilder despite a failed loan move last season.
Phillips made just three appearances for the Blades after joining in January and saw his campaign prematurely ended by a knee injury which required surgery. But United’s coaching staff were impressed by his attitude during his time in South Yorkshire.
The Star has been told that the interest in Phillips was a driving force behind the decision to let Jairo Riedewald leave this summer, despite the indication that his 12-month contract extension would be triggered.
And while the player is also understood to be keen to return to United, the ball is ultimately in City’s court. Phillips still has two years left on the lucrative contract he was handed when he arrived in a £40m+ deal from Leeds United back in 2022.
City heavily subsidised Phillips’ salary when he moved to United in January and a similar deal would be needed this time around to fit in with the ever-tightening financial structure at Bramall Lane.
With Phillips out of favour under City boss Pep Guardiola, that seemed a distinct possibility - especially if Phillips pushed for a return to his native Yorkshire. But a potential issue may be the future of the Spaniard at the Etihad.
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The Daily Mail have reported that Sunday's final Premier League game against Aston Villa will be the Spaniard's last after 10 years in charge, and that he is set to step down. Speculation over the 55-year-old's future has persisted for a while now, with reports that former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been lined up to take over.
And while the expectation remains that Phillips’ future lies away from City, a change of manager - and a conceivable lifeline for Phillips - is a potential complication in a summer when United could do with things moving smoothly in the transfer market.
Maresca has worked with Phillips before during his spell as Guardiola’s No.2, and the midfielder is on record stating his admiration for the Italian coach. “He was good with me,” said Phillips in 2024. “Because I first came in and tried to understand the way that Pep played.
“Obviously, everyone knew it off to a tee and I was new there. So I kind of struggled a bit in the first probably six months. But he [Maresca] made sure that he did like extra stuff with me and made sure he spoke to me about different things that I needed to work on.”
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