Football
Exclusive: Leeds United Close in on £25m Deal to Bring Kalvin Phillips Back to Elland Road
Leeds United are set to ramp up their pursuit of former star midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City in a £25million plus add-ons deal. The ex-England international aims to secure a move back to his hometown club and help them in their return to the Premier League. Phillips, who has struggled with injuries at City, is eager to make a triumphant return to Elland Road.
Manchester City v RB Leipzig: Group G - UEFA Champions League 2023/24 by Richard Sellers/Allstar | Getty Images
Leeds United have ramped up their pursuit of former star midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City in a deal worth £25million plus add-ons, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
Ex-England international Phillips has long been rumoured with a return to his hometown club, although West Ham and a number of other Premier League clubs have been linked with the player who still has two years left on his current contract.
Our sources have learnt a deal is close to be being negotiated as the 29-year-old looks to orchestrate a move away from the Etihad Stadium.
Phillips signed for City on a six-year deal worth £42million in July 2022, but he has played just 31 games for the club since then.
Injury problems have plagued his career at the club and loan moves to West Ham and Ipswich Town followed.
But Phillips’ dream is to make a triumphant return to Elland Road to help his boyhood club find success in their first season back in the Premier League.
The Whites pipped Burnley to the Championship title last term and German boss Daniel Farke is understandably hungry to add top-flight experience to his squad ahead of what promises to be a testing campaign for the Yorkshire club.
MEMORABLE PROMOTION
Phillips started his career with Leeds and enjoyed eight seasons with the club, most memorably playing a key role in their promotion to the Premier League in 2020.
He played two seasons in the Premier League before City signed him, before loan spells with the Hammers and Tractor Boys followed having been told he was surplus to requirements by City boss Pep Guardiola.
Phillips played 19 games for Ipswich last season but returned to City at the end of the season when his loan spell expired.
Capped 31 times by England, Phillips has 297 career appearances under his belt and has played 94 Premier League games.
At 29 he still believes he has many more years left in the top-flight and a return to Leeds could provide the platform for him to resurrect his career.
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Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.