Kalvin Phillips Tells Manchester City He Wants to Leave, Willing to Forgo £15m in Wages

Kalvin Phillips has told Manchester City that he would rather not return to the club next season, paving the way for his contract there to be terminated by mutual consent, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal. 

Although that is not the guaranteed outcome when the former England midfielder sits down later this summer to discuss his situation with Pep Guardiola, sources close to the player have told SportsBoom it is the preferred one for both the player and his representatives after making only 32 appearances for the eight-time Premier League champions since leaving Leeds four years ago.

Now on loan at Sheffield United, having also completed temporary spells with West Ham and Ipswich Town, Phillips is so disillusioned by his predicament at the Etihad Stadium that he is prepared for forgo some of the estimated £15m salary still due if he sees out the remaining two seasons of his deal in the North-West.

And that has put a number of clubs, including The Blades, on alert as they feel the 30-year-old’s hunger for action and desire to resurrect his career will see him prioritise opportunities over wages should he be allowed to leave City.

Phillips and his advisors, a number of well-placed sources revealed last night, have already made their position clear to Guardiola and his coaching staff with the Catalan likely to have relayed their feelings to City’s director of football Hugo Viana. 

The Portuguese director is set to formally pass them on to chief executive Ferran Soriano shortly, although he is also already aware of the situation.

Needs To Move

Phillips’ determination to hasten his exit from City is highlighted by the fact he has openly questioned both City’s motives for acquiring him, and the development plan he was presented with at the time, with United’s growing contingent of former Leeds stars. 

Having briefly returned to the North-West for treatment on a minor injury sustained before he was sent-off during The Blades’ derby win over neighbours Sheffield Wednesday, Phillips is set to be handed a prominent role in their starting eleven by manager Chris Wilder between now and the end of the campaign.

It is understood Phillips had initially hoped to engineer a return to The Whites where he made 234 outings before completing a £42m switch to City. 

However, although many followers of Daniel Farke’s side would welcome him back with open arms, the German himself has identified other targets with Phillips now resigned to the fact he must explore alternative destinations.