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Fresh reports have surfaced surrounding the former Leeds United hero’s future.
Speculation surrounding the future of Kalvin Phillips has resurfaced with a few months until the summer transfer window opens.
Former Leeds United midfielder Phillips is currently on loan at Premier League outfit Ipswich Town, having been deemed surplus to requirements by Manchester City for a second time. Last season’s temporary switch to West Ham was disastrous and despite some moments of promise, a move to Portman Road has not fared much better.
Phillips has 16 league appearances to his name this season but with Ipswich down in the relegation zone and showing little sign of a late survival push, his move hasn’t had the desired effect. And with no place at parent club City, the 29-year-old’s future beyond this season remains uncertain.
Leeds ‘return’
One widely tipped outcome would be for Phillips to return home and sign for Leeds, with The Sun reporting earlier this week that a ‘fairytale return’ to West Yorkshire is on the cards. They claim Elland Road recruitment chiefs have been scouting their former midfielder to see how he is faring at Ipswich.
Such a move would only be possible if Leeds are promoted but the report suggests early plans are being put in place for a summer in which they hope to be recruiting for Premier League survival. And with Phillips almost certain to leave the Etihad this summer, speculation will only intensify surrounding his possible return to LS11.
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The Sun claim Phillips would be ‘welcomed back to Leeds with open arms’, given he rose through the academy as a boyhood fan before going on to win the Championship title under Marcelo Bielsa. But the picture is different than it was almost five years ago - not least inside Elland Road.
Key stumbling block
Leeds will of course be focused primarily on winning promotion this season, with a recent dip in form making for a much more nervy finish than some had hoped following comeback wins over Sunderland and Sheffield United. And even if a return to the Premier League is secured, a move for Phillips has many possible snags.
This summer will be three years since Phillip joined City in a £42million deal and despite a miserable spell across the Pennines, Etihad chiefs might still hope to recoup around £30m for an experienced England international. 49ers Enterprises might be willing to spend such an amount on one player if they are promoted but the chances of that being a defensive midfielder who will turn 30 mid-way through next season are slim.
Leeds already have strength and depth in central midfield, with Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev more orthodox defensive options while Ao Tanaka has dropped into a deeper role with relative comfort this season - and at a fraction of the cost. There would also need to be a rather large reduction of Phillips' reported £150,000-per-week City wages.
Phillips’ stance
It remains to be seen what might happen regarding Phillips, but if Ipswich are duly relegated then a third exit from City looks likely. Previous reports have suggested interest from elsewhere in the Premier League while there were even some reports of interest from Juventus in the past.
Similar reports linking Phillips with a return to Elland Road started to surface around this time last year, under the same caveat of Leeds getting promoted. And the midfielder did suggest he might have been open to such a move, if his boyhood club got back into the top-flight.
“I went to that game [play-off final] and was devastated they didn’t go up,” Phillips told the East Anglian Daily Times in November. “Obviously I wanted Leeds to get promoted. It’s a club very close to my heart. Even if Leeds had been promoted and Ipswich had maybe come up in the play-offs then it still would have been a very close call as to where I’d have gone because I just love the story of Ipswich.”