Leeds have reportedly come to a verbal agreement which will see Kalvin Phillips re-join the club, after coming close to landing him a year ago.
Phillips was one of the very best players at Leeds during his time there. Coming through the ranks to become a regular in the Championship, he then made a seamless transition to playing at the top level, both in the Premier League and with England.
That paved the way for a big move to Manchester City, where he stagnated, and has had unsuccessful loans with West Ham and Ipswich.
Phillips has been linked with a return to Leeds on multiple occasions since he began to struggle at City following his move there in 2022, and now seems to be nearing his return at last.
That’s according to our friends at TEAMtalk, who state Leeds have come to a verbal agreement to re-sign Phillips, with the caveat that they have to be promoted back to the Premier League for that move to happen.
The Elland Road outfit are currently top of the Championship, level on points with second-placed Sheffield United, and two points ahead of third-placed Burnley.
There is confidence from many that the Whites will return to the top flight for next season.
Getting Phillips back would be a huge coup for them, and the familiar environment could help him to rediscover form. The move is one which has nearly happened before, though.
The report states that Leeds have been keen to bring Phillips back for the last 12 months, and almost completed the move last year.
Indeed, Phillips would have re-signed were the Whites promoted back to the Premier League last season, but they were pipped to the final promotion spot by Southampton, who beat them in the play-off final.
As such, Leeds will be hoping there are no unfortunate slip-ups this season, and they can be reunited with Phillips.
City are not likely to stand in the way of the midfielder heading home, so long as a £20million offer comes across the table. If Leeds are promoted, coming up with that sort of money should not be a problem.
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