Leeds United and Man City close to 'circa £50m' deal for Kalvin Phillips as City teen arrives - YEP 24/6/22
Leeds United and Manchester City are close to finalising a deal for Kalvin Phillips that the Whites believe will be worth between £50m and £55m.
By Graham Smyth
As first reported by the Athletic, the clubs will soon reach
an agreement that will also see Darko Gyabi make a switch to Elland Road in a
£5m move.
Etihad sources say the transfer fee for Phillips is £42m and
there's a possible £3m extra to be had in add-ons, although the YEP understands
the Whites believe it's worth more like circa £50m to them.
Manchester City have pinpointed Phillips as a key summer
target in order to replace Fernandinho and Leeds vowed not to stand in the way
of a dream move for the England international, if the money was right. Although
PSG made the call about Phillips a week ago, Manchester City was always the
likeliest of destinations for the 25-year-old, whose 2021/22 season was majorly
disrupted by hamstring surgery. Phillips returned in time to help Leeds secure
Premier League status and led wild celebrations on the pitch at Brentford, just
a week after appearing to say a fond farewell to Elland Road after the Brighton
game.
Phillips is currently away on holiday and so a deal cannot
currently be completed finalised but it could happen as early as next week. The
Leeds-born player had two years remaining on his deal at Elland Road and was a
transfer target for Aston Villa and West Ham United previously. Manchester
United were also reportedly keen on his services but such a move was never
going to happen given his boyhood affiliation to Leeds and his family's close
ties to the club.
Leeds will also get 18-year-old midfielder Gyabi on a
permanent deal.
Gyabi arrived at Manchester City as a 14-year-old in 2018,
signing from Millwall for a reported £300,000. Since acclimatising to life at
the Etihad Campus, the teenager has featured regularly in central midfield for
City's Development Squad, particularly towards the end of last season.
The England Under-18 international is yet to make his senior
professional debut but boasted an impressive goals record from midfield in the
U18 Premier League with nine strikes in 22 appearances.
The 18-year-old featured from the bench against Leeds'
Under-23 side last season, becoming a Premier League 2 champion at Elland Road
as City romped to the summit of the table.
Leeds will seek to replace Phillips in the transfer window,
having already bolstered their midfield with the addition of Bayern Munich's
Marc Roca and RB Salzburg man Brenden Aaronson.
