Leeds United are all set to battle it out with West Ham United for the services of 28-year-old Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
According to a report by Football Insider, Leeds United are keen on re-signing Kalvin Phillips, and they are ready to rival West Ham United in the pursuit of the Manchester City midfielder. Phillips is currently on loan with the Hammers, but he is expected to permanently part ways with City ahead of next season.
Kalvin Phillips and his Manchester City Struggles
Phillips came up the ranks at Leeds United and proved himself in the English top flight before joining Pep Guardiola’s team in the summer of 2022. Everyone expected him to eventually break into the Spanish manager’s first team, but that never really happened.
They were ready to offload him last summer, but he was keen on fighting for a place in the team. However, nothing changed over the next six months, and he ended up joining West Ham on a short loan in the winter transfer window. While the Premier League champions might have preferred a permanent sale, his £140,000-a-week wages posed a problem.
Since joining the Hammers, things have not really been that great for the England international. He made an error that led to a goal on his debut against Bournemouth and followed it up with a red card in the recent fixture against Nottingham Forest.
West Ham, Leeds United to battle for the England international
Despite his disappointing run, people at West Ham still feel he can turn things around and are willing to sign him on a permanent basis. Manchester City are expected to raise funds by offloading the 28-year-old, who is unlikely to be a part of Guardiola’s plans having had a fallout with the manager in the past.
While West Ham are willing to make a move, they will have to battle it out with Leeds United. The Whites are currently pushing for a return to the English top flight and if they manage to gain promotion, they will go big in the summer, and their priority will be to sign a defensive midfielder. But the £140,000-a-week wages pose a problem for Leeds.
Kalvin Phillips is on top of their list despite his poor run in the recent past. He has done it for Leeds back in the day, and they are willing to fight for his signatures. While his £140,000-a-week wages could be a problem for Leeds, they did hand a few of their new signings big contracts when they got promoted to the Premier League last time out.