Manchester City and Leeds United have reached an agreement over Kalvin Phillips’ move to Etihad this summer.
According to The Athletic, Kalvin Phillips is on the verge of a move to Manchester City after the Premier League champions had their bid accepted by Leeds United. Phillips himself already has a personal agreement with Manchester City and a summer move to Etihad Stadium is in the offing.
Manchester City are expected to fork out £42 million, with additional performance-related bonuses of up to £3 million. The deal could be finalised soon, making Phillips the third major signing for the Cityzens ahead of the new season.
The reigning English champions kickstarted their business with the capture of Julian Alvarez earlier in the year. The young Argentine forward was loaned back to River Plate, but he is set to join the first team in the summer, alongside the marquee signing Erling Haaland.
The Borussia Dortmund forward was brought in for a fortune, as part of Pep Guardiola’s wish to incorporate a genuine number nine. With Alvarez and Haaland already in the bag, Guardiola will be delighted to have completed the capture of Kalvin Phillips this summer.
Kalvin Phillips has already reached an agreement with Manchester City on personal terms – as he turned down other clubs to work under Pep. Here we go. ??? #MCFC
Man City will pay £42m, overall deal close to £50m with add-ons.
Leeds have accepted, as @David_Ornstein reported. pic.twitter.com/46a4NNq8P7
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 24, 2022
A native of Yorkshire, Phillips is set to serve as a direct replacement for Fernandinho, who has left the club after years of service. The Leeds United star is expected to compete with Rodri for a place in the starting eleven, while his arrival could pave the way for Ilkay Gundogan to leave Etihad, amid interest from AS Roma, among many others.
Meanwhile, Leeds United have been anticipating the exit of Phillips for quite some time now. In an attempt to mitigate the losses, they have roped in Marc Roca from Bayern Munich – a technically astute defensive midfielder who is capable of rotating possession and offers an excellent mentality in the middle of the park.
After struggling in the Bundesliga, Roca will be hoping to find some success in the much more physical nature of the Premier League. The Whites, though, are keeping their options open and have targeted a move for Sander Berge to offer further competition to Roca next season.
Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch is going to require some additional midfield reinforcements regardless, as his unit is stretched quite thin in the middle of the park. While Berge or any other target won’t be available for cheap, Leeds will hope to use the transfer revenue from the Phillips deal to fund a move for a new holding midfielder this summer.
