Kalvin Phillips linked with stunning move to Premier League club ahead of expected Manchester City exit | OneFootball

Kalvin Phillips has been scouted by Leeds United ahead of a possible return to Elland Road in the summer, according to new reports.

It has simply not worked out for Kalvin Phillips at Manchester City since he left his boyhood club Leeds United to join hands with Pep Guardiola in the summer of 2022 for a big-money transfer fee.

The £45 million midfielder’s opening campaign in Manchester was marred by injury but for one reason or another, nothing has gone Kalvin Phillips’ way since he joined City almost three years ago.

The Leeds-born midfielder has played just 914 minutes for Manchester City since 2022, having largely been an understudy to Ballon d’Or winner Rodri before the 2023 signings of Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes.

The Croatian has been Pep Guardiola’s preferred alternative to Rodri in the last two seasons, which has meant that opportunities have been few and far between for Kalvin Phillips, who joined Ipswich Town on a season-long loan at the start of this season.

A possible return to Leeds United has always been mooted for Phillips, who is likely to see his former club return to the Premier League as they look set to win the EFL Championship this season amid intense competition for the crown.

According to The Sun newspaper, scouts at Elland Road are currently tracking Kalvin Phillips’ stint at Ipswich Town and could make an approach for their former midfielder at the end of the season.

Phillips spent the second half of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign on loan at West Ham, often impressing but showing signs of a player who is unlikely to ever make the cut under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, being contractually tied to the Blues until 2028.

City are expected to make wholesale changes to their squad in the summer and incoming director of football Hugo Viana will back Guardiola in the market to inject fresh life into an ageing midfield that could bid farewell to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva.