‘Kalvin Phillips to Leeds claim made as Man City exit looms’: ‘Just not going away’
Kalvin Phillips has been continuously linked with a Leeds United return as he looks set to leave Manchester City.
The midfielder endured an underwhelming loan stint with Ipswich Town this term, failing to help keep the Tractor Boys in the Premier League.
Phillips shone throughout his time with former club Leeds, making over 230 appearances for the Elland Road side before joining Man City in 2022.
But after enduring a lack of game time for Pep Guardiola’s men, the England international joined West Ham on loan in January 2024.
Leeds’ chances of signing Phillips become clearer amid ‘renewed links’
The midfielder proved his worth for Leeds in both the Championship and the Premier League, while the Whites are looking to strengthen their squad after sealing a top-flight return.
On the latest episode of the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Inside Elland Road podcast, Leeds United journalist Joe Donnohue asked Chief Football Writer Graham Smyth: “There’s obviously been renewed links to Kalvin Phillips this summer. What’s our read of the situation, Graham? Obviously, there were pictures of him in a protective boot at the Kaiser Chiefs gig. There’s obviously been gossip.”
Smyth replied: “I think that’s just not going to go away.
“But I think the likelihood of it is fairly slim if he’s not back until August from this latest injury. Yes, he played more last season, which still wasn’t his best season. Is he getting in ahead of the club captain, Ethan Ampadu? Probably not. He missed pretty much the entirety of pre-season.
“That’s even before you get into the financials, which probably would be quite instructive as to the amount of emotional buy-in Leeds are going to put into it. It’s on that you can’t really see.”
Arsenal join Leeds in Igor Paixao race
While Leeds may be unlikely to bring Phillips back to Elland Road, there is no doubt that Farke must utilise the summer transfer windows to strengthen his squad ahead of a likely challenging Premier League season.
| Kalvin Phillips stats | Premier League 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 19 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
The Whites had set their sights on Feyenoord forward Igor Paixao, who has notched a strong return of 18 goals and 14 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions this term, and could help the West Yorkshire side adjust to the top flight.
However, Arsenal have entered the race for Paixao, which could scupper Leeds’ chances of signing the 24-year-old who made three goal contributions in his last three Eredivisie games this term.
The left-winger could favour a move to the North London side, who boast Premier League title aspirations, whereas survival is the goal for Farke’s men.
However, it could also be argued that Paixao could earn more game time if he joins Leeds as opposed to agreeing terms at the Emirates Stadium.
Meanwhile, football finance expert Dan Plumley exclusively told MOT Leeds News that the West Yorkshire club are ready to take risks in the summer transfer market.