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Whether Leeds United would consider such a move remains to be seen.
Further speculation surrounding Kalvin Phillips’ future has emerged with reports claiming he will ‘push’ for a return to Leeds United this summer.
Phillips has recently been linked with a sensational return to Elland Road, where he won the Championship title under Marcelo Bielsa before developing into one of England’s most promising midfielders. The 29-year-old’s performances in white earned him a roughly £45million move to serial Premier League champions Manchester City in the summer of 2022, but things have not worked out across the Pennines.
With minutes lacking and no clear path into the first-team picture under Pep Guardiola, Phillips joined West Ham United on loan last season but a disastrous move cost him a spot in the England squad. The midfielder made a temporary switch to newly-promoted Ipswich Town over the summer but has once again struggled to find consistent form.
Phillips to Leeds latest
The Sun reported earlier this month that Leeds had been keeping an eye on Phillips this season with suggestions he could return to Elland Road, while other reports even went as far as to claim a ‘verbal agreement’ was in place. The YEP understands such claims are premature at this stage, but Football Insider has now detailed the player’s stance, as they see it.
They report Phillips is ‘pushing’ for a return to boyhood club Leeds in the hope he can rediscover form and get back in the England set up, with another squad announcement - the first of new manager Thomas Tuchel - passing him by. Manchester City are also expected to let him leave with suggestions they would be willing to take a ‘substantial loss’ in order to get him off their books.
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As with previous reports, Football Insider insist any such move would rely on Leeds getting promoted but even that would not open a straightforward path for Phillips’ return to LS11. The Thorp Arch academy graduate’s Manchester City contract is thought to be worth around £10m per year, an amount no financially prudent newly-promoted team could commit to spending.
Would Leeds be open to signing Phillips?
There would also be the question as to how low an offer Manchester City would be willing to accept, with Phillips still seen as an experienced England international with three years working under Guardiola - albeit between loan spells. Other Premier League or top-level European clubs might be better-placed to meet the demands of Etihad chiefs.
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Many would also point to the current wealth of midfield options Farke has at his disposal and question whether the Manchester City outcast would improve it. Ethan Ampadu, signed for a fraction of what it might cost for Phillips, is club captain and first name on the team sheet when fit, while Ilia Gruev has been excellent for large parts.
Summer signing Ao Tanaka continues to make a mockery of his £3m price-tag and looks more than ready to mix it with the best, as he has proven already at international level with Japan. Joe Rothwell has also been outstanding on loan from Bournemouth and could stake a claim as Championship loan signing of the season.
Farke has made abundantly clear his stance on new signings coming straight into the team, with even someone like Tanaka, who looks a level above virtually everyone he’s faced, not getting his first start until October - and that only came because Ampadu was injured. It is therefore hard to see Phillips being thrown straight into the team, and Leeds won’t be in a position to spend £20-30m on a squad player even if they are promoted.
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