Kalvin Phillips has been heavily linked with a return to Leeds United ahead of the next summer transfer window. There are suggestions Leeds are ready to take him back to Elland Road if they get promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season. The midfielder, who came through the Leeds academy, has struggled since leaving the club in 2022 and will be looking for a new team in the summer. He is currently on loan at Ipswich Town from Manchester City but the latter is almost certain to go down at the end of the campaign. A return to Leeds has been mooted but the Whites fans remain undivided on potentially welcoming him back.
Daniel Farke and his players are focused on getting back to winning ways when they host Millwall at Elland Road tonight but rumours of what could happen in the summer are taking hold.
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It emerged on Tuesday that Leeds are keeping tabs on Kalvin Phillips with a view to taking him back to Elland Road if they get promoted to the Premier League.
It was further claimed Leeds have a verbal agreement in place with the midfielder to re-sign him in the summer and the club are not expecting any issues in agreeing on a contract with the former White.
The Leeds fanbase is divided about the prospect of the midfielder returning. A large section of the fans do not want him back given his decline over the years, but some are ready to welcome back a boyhood Whites fan.
However, any deal to sign him, even if Leeds get promoted to the Premier League, would be complicated given the potential cost of a potential transfer.
The onus will be on Leeds to do a deal to sign Kalvin Phillips
It’s been three years since Phillips left Leeds to join Manchester City, but he has had a miserable spell at the Etihad and is currently on loan at Ipswich Town.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola regularly questioned the midfielder’s fitness and it appears he has no future at the Etihad if he returns to the club in the summer.
Leeds are said to be keen on signing him but according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the chance of him returning to Elland Road would be slim.
However, Manchester City would still demand a significant transfer fee for an experienced midfielder who has represented England at the top level.
The Premier League champions are likely to demand a fee in the region of £30m for a player they paid £42m three years back.
While the 49ers would be prepared to pay such a figure for one player if Leeds get promoted to the Premier League, but there is uncertainty whether they would do it for Phillips who is a defensive midfielder.
The Leeds academy graduate is close to celebrating his 30th birthday, and if Leeds pay big fees for players, they would prefer to spend it on younger players.
Will the 49ers pay up for a defensive midfielder who will soon turn 30?
For the moment, Leeds will focus on ensuring that they get promoted to the Premier League and are actually in a position to decide whether they want to sign Phillips.
The midfielder is a boyhood Leeds fan and while some supporters are right to have reservations about his potential return given his decline in the last few years, there is still that emotional connect between him and the club.
Phillips played his best football under Marcelo Bielsa, who turned a box-to-box player into a deep-lying defensive midfielder who played for England at the highest level.
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While we have not seen the performances that earned him the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ moniker since he left Leeds, he still remains a talented player who could do a job in the right set-up and with the right support.
However, Leeds need to be careful about who they spend their money on in the summer as mistakes in the market could lead to relegation back to the Championship next year.
It remains to be seen whether the 49ers would be prepared to pay big money for a defensive midfielder who is about to turn 30 and has had fitness challenges in the last few years.
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