Leeds United are being linked with a sensational transfer swoop for former midfielder Kalvin Phillips ahead of the summer transfer window.
Leeds Live understands Phillips would be open for a return to Elland Road, but reports claiming a deal has been agreed for the former Whites' skipper are wide of the mark.
United cashed in on the midfielder in the summer of 2022, selling him to Manchester City for a reported fee of £42 million, potentially rising to £45m, after impressing with both club and country after the return to the top flight.
Despite being one of the standout players for Gareth Southgate's England en route to the Euro 2020 final, Phillips struggled to rediscover that form with injuries blighting the following years.
The 29-year-old made 21 appearances in 2022-23 before managing just ten the following season, before a loan move to West Ham United.
It's clear that Phillips is not part of Guardiola's plans at the Etihad Stadium, with Ballon d'Or winner Rodri ahead of him in the pecking order.
Despite talk of a loan move back to Elland Road in the summer of 2024, he joined Ipswich Town on a season-long loan, where he's made 20 appearances in all competitions, scoring once.
“It just felt like this club suited the kind of person that I am,” he told the East Anglian Daily Times earlier this season.
“There are lot of people here who have been on a good journey and fought their way through the Championship, which I think is probably one of the hardest leagues in the world.
"That’s a journey I’d been on at Leeds, so I knew I’d be coming into a positive environment. I needed that. "
Phillips may be getting more game time with the Tractorboys, but his struggles in recent years are clearly shown in transfermarkt's valuation of the midfielder.
The transfer website claims Phillips is valued at around £12.5million, almost a quarter of the price City paid Leeds just two-years ago and £29m less than the fee.
It would be a bargain fee if the Whites were able to re-sign the midfielder, who is still held in such high regard at his boyhood club, though he would have to take a significant pay cut if he were to move back to Yorkshire.
A return for Phillips would also likely depend on the Whites gaining promotion back to the top flight under Daniel Farke this season.
The Whites are well placed at the top of the Championship ahead of the final eight games of the season, but know a deal would have to make financial sense first and foremost given the need to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.