Manchester City will not stand in Kalvin Phillips’ way of leaving the Etihad Stadium this summer after setting a lowball fee for his exit, while his chances of a return to Leeds have been explained by sources, and with the major sacrifice the star must make before finalising any move also coming to light.
Phillips departed boyhood club Leeds in the summer of 2022 when Manchester City forked out a £42m fee to bring him across the Pennines. Having shot to international stardom under the management of Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road, a move to play under Pep Guardiola was supposed to elevate the midfielder to the next level.
Instead, the very opposite has happened and, despite winning the Treble in his first season at the Etihad, Phillips has been consigned to a bit-part role, making a paltry six starts across all competitions in his time there.
Having since made two, rather unsuccessful, loan moves away from City – first to West Ham United over the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, and then Ipswich across all of last season, Phillips has been told he now has no future with the Cityzens and he will be allowed to leave this summer.
Now, Simon Bajkowski, the chief Man City reporter at the Manchester Evening News, has provided an update on his situation and confirmed Phillips will be allowed to leave this summer.
“It’s no secret that he hasn’t been part of City’s plans for over a year. They were willing to let him go after just 12 months, but he opted to stay and fight for his place, which didn’t work out for him,” Bajkowski told LeedsLive.
“After loans at West Ham United and Ipswich Town, everyone involved wants him to get another move, but this latest injury will complicate matters.”
The reporter believes City are willing to sell the midfielder, who has three years left on his deal, for as little as £10m this summer.
“Everyone would love a sale just so all sides can move on from what has been a disastrous move, but it will depend on whether buying clubs are prepared to take a gamble on a player who simply hasn’t been anywhere near the level he needs to be for the last three years.”
However, as he explains: “City wouldn’t want or expect a big fee for him, but in today’s environment where everyone is obsessed with PSR, even £10m or £15m could be seen as more than people are willing to risk.”
Despite the lowball asking price – and after we revealed a move to Elland Road was slotted to go through last summer had Leeds secured promotion back to the Premier League – we understand that as things stand, Daniel Farke’s side are not currently planning a move to bring Phillips back to Elland Road.
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While Phillips would surely welcome a return to his boyhood club, there is not currently any plans by the Whites to bring the player back.
Indeed, while Farke does have funds to spend this summer, cash will not be unlimited and investments will have to be made wisely. And as it stands, the case of their midfield is one area that Farke – who can call on Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka and Ilia Gruev to play there – is well stocked.
And while we understand Leeds would like to bring in Premier League experience to further their chances of survival, the fact that he currently earns £150,000 a week and would need to take a dramatic wage cut, makes a move even trickier to navigate.
Despite that, we have learned there would be a willingness from the player to accept a severely reduced salary if the right transfer opportunity opens up for him.
However, the biggest hurdle to any particular move for Phillips, now 29, is the fact that he is due to miss a large chunk of pre-season training owing to a recent Achilles operation.
Reflecting on those two factors, Bajkowski added: “That depends on Phillips if it is a sale. If he wants to get playing regularly again, he needs to take a wage that will allow him to do that even if it is a significant cut.
“The problem City have is that, if there are no bidders for most of the summer with him being injured, any interested club could wait until close to the deadline and then press for City to take as much of his wages as possible in a loan just so a move is completed.”
However, the reporter insists a move of some description will come to fruition, with the player keen to prove a point.
“He will leave in some form because there is no chance of him playing for Pep Guardiola in the first team, it is just what deal can be negotiated.
“Given the last three years, it would be a surprise if he was a top priority for a leading club but there may well be several interested parties who see him as a cheap alternative they can take a punt on later in the window.”
In conclusion, the reporter stated: “He will be determined to prove a point and show that he can still excel in the top division, but his record over the last three years is not one to back that up.”
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