According to sources, Kalvin Phillips will have a physical with Manchester City on Friday as they finalise his £50 million transfer from Leeds United.
The 26-year-old has agreed personal terms with City after they agreed on a cost of £45 million plus £5 million in add-ons. All of the paperwork is now in place for the England international to become City’s latest big signing in the coming days!
The midfielder is likely to treble his current salary at Elland Road, which is set to expire in the summer of 2024.
Phillips will be City’s second marquee signing of the summer, following the capture of Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
West Ham and Aston Villa have both made bids for the England international. Both clubs tabled bids but were outbid by the Premier League champions.
Phillips struggled with injury for Leeds during the 2021-22 season. In 23 games across all competitions, he produced one goal and one assist as Jesse March’s side narrowly survived relegation.
A move to Manchester City will conclude a 12-year affiliation with Leeds United!
Phillips progressed through the ranks at the Yorkshire club before making his debut in 2015.
He has made 233 senior appearances for the Whites in all.
Since his Premier League debut, the 26-year-old has become a mainstay of England’s system, but he has been firmly linked with a move away from Jesse Marsch’s side after the Whites won their top-flight survival on the penultimate day.
He scored 13 goals and set up 13 more, despite injury issues in the 2021-22 season as mentioned earlier.
The former Wortley Juniors player nonetheless managed 20 Premier League appearances, 18 of which were from the start, and has played the full 90 minutes in each of the Whites’ last six Premier League games.
Phillips will arrive at the Etihad Stadium as a replacement for Fernandinho, who has departed as a free agent to rejoin Atletico Paranaense 17 years after leaving the Brazilian side for Shakhtar Donetsk.
Guardiola has struggled at the left-back position in recent years, and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Marc Cucurella is said to be at the top of their list for defensive reinforcements.
In terms of departures, Jayden Braaf, Pedro Porro, and Gavin Bazunu have all joined Fernandinho, while Chelsea-linked Raheem Sterling might follow the quartet out the door.
Meanwhile, Leeds have already signed Marc Roca from Bayern Munich, who will join Rasmus Kristensen and Brenden Aaronson at Elland Road for the new season.