Kalvin Phillips reacts to Ruben Dias’ message as Man City exit links swirl
Kalvin Phillips has responded to Man City teammate Ruben Dias online amid rumours about his future at the Etihad Stadium beyond this summer.
Phillips has struggled to ever nail down a place in the Citizens’ starting eleven since he joined the club from Leeds United for an initial £42million [Sky Sports] back in 2022.
The defensive midfielder has made just 31 appearances under Pep Guardiola since the move, and he spent time out on loan at West Ham in 2023/24 before moving to newly-promoted Ipswich Town for the 2024/25 campaign last summer.
Another exit looks likely this summer following his tough spell at Portman Road, and former scout Mick Brown first revealed to Football Insider back in March that Phillips is eager to re-join Leeds this summer as he eyes a permanent departure from the Etihad.
A return to Elland Road has been deemed unlikely for Phillips in the coming months, but Football Insider recently revealed that Pep Guardiola wants the club to sell Phillips this summer, so an exit is clearly still very likely.
Ruben Dias shares off-season update
Phillips hasn’t played for Man City since December 2023, so it is fair to presume that he already feels like he is on his way out, having seen a number of players arrive to be ahead of him in the midfield pecking order since then.
The Citizens’ first-team players will still be on their summer break, having not long returned from the Club World Cup, and key defender Ruben Dias took to Instagram on Monday (14 July) to share an update on what he has been doing in his time off alongside a caption saying: “Sun, love, crocodiles, some fits and one advice.”
Phillips responded to the Portuguese international’s post with a like, while Tijjani Reijnders, Manuel Akanji, Pedro Neto and Diogo Dalot all followed suit.
Phillips should move abroad this summer
Football Insider verdict
Returning to Elland Road, where he was a vital member of Leeds’ squad and loved by their fans, would make sense for Phillips to do on the face of it, but a move does seem unlikely due to a few different factors.
Leeds will likely not want to spend the money that City will potentially demand to sign Phillips this summer, given his age and recent tough loan spells, while Farke simply does not need a player of his ilk in his squad for the new season.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 234 | 14 | 13 |
The Whites already have the likes of Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev as depth in defensive midfield, while it is much more likely that they bring in a player of a similar mould to new Sunderland signing Habib Diarra, who was linked to Leeds before joining the Black Cats.
Phillips should instead look to move to a team overseas this summer, with a change of scenery and culture possibly what is needed for him to rediscover his previous stellar form.
At 29-years-old he is running out of years at his supposed peak, so this next move feels like a huge one for the remainder of his career, and it is clearly time to try something different after his struggles at City, West Ham and Ipswich.