Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has made it clear that he wants several more additions to his squad before the end of the transfer window. The Whites are pushing to improve their attack through signing quality forwards before the window closes on 1st September.
The Whites did most of their early window business to strengthen their defence and midfield. Three defenders and two midfielders have arrived, with the addition of Lucas Perri as their new number one. Lukas Nmecha is still the only attacking addition, and he arrived on a free transfer.
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Leeds have already held talks with the representatives of Leicester City ace Bilal El Khannouss, and are ready to trigger his £24.5m to snare the Moroccan away from the King Power Stadium in the ongoing transfer window.
The Whites are also looking to add a Premier League-proven number 9. They are considering a move for Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz, and Everton’s Beto are also on their radar.
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Leeds United urged to sign Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips
Manchester City are keen to offload the midfielder they signed from Leeds United in 2022 for a fee worth £45m, but he has struggled at the Etihad.
Leeds have been heavily linked with a move for Phillips, but they have already signed two midfielders, and the club are expected to focus on adding to their attack.
Former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson wants Leeds to take the midfielder back to Elland Road as he feels Phillips and the Whites are just right for each other.
He believes it would be fantastic for the England midfielder to return to his former club, but is unsure whether Leeds would want that to happen this summer.
“I’d love for it to happen”, Robinson told Football Insider.
“Since he left Leeds in 2022 for around £45million, the time at Manchester City hasn’t worked for him.
“For him and for Leeds, it just seems a good fit – there’s a player there, [and] it’s time for him to kickstart his career again away from Manchester City.
“It looks like he’s going to be leaving, and I’d love to see a deal at Leeds be done, but the problem that we’ve got with Leeds is their recruitment.
“Leeds do a lot of their recruitment on numbers, stats and figures from the last three or four seasons, and if they are going to stick with that, there’s no chance they’re signing Kalvin Phillips.
“I think they should do it, I really do. I think it would be a great homecoming for him. It’s a club that he loves, the club loves him, and it just seems the right fit.
“If they can get over the line – I don’t suspect City will be holding out for anything like the £45million that they paid – it’ll be a decent deal.”
A Phillips return seems unlikely
Phillips is not the same player who left Leeds to join Manchester City, and injuries and lack of regular game time have taken their toll on him.
He didn’t look great during his loan spell at Ipswich Town last season, and Manchester City are desperate to move him on this summer.
Leeds have already signed Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff this summer, and look stacked for options in the area of the midfield where Phillips operates.
It seems Leeds have moved on, and an emotional return to Elland Road for Phillips this summer seems more and more unlikely.
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