'Paperworks signed': Fabrizio Romano has just confirmed Kalvin Phillips has now all but left Leeds United
It’s the news all Leeds fans have been expecting and some dreading, but Kalvin Phillips appears to have sealed his move to Manchester City. Phillips had emerged as City’s top target for their midfield this summer and last week agreed a fee in the region of £45m for the Leeds star. Leeds, despite wanting to keep hold of their man, have reluctantly agreed to allow Phillips to move on to the Champions. Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images And now, according to Fabrizio Romano, Phillips has all but agreed his move to City, with personal terms agreed and all paperwork signed and completed. Why Don't Billionaires Buy Non-League Football Teams? Phillips’ exit will bring to an end a successful spell for both player and club. The midfielder was integral in helping Leeds back into the Premier League and over the last two season has shown himself to be one of the very best in the game. For City, it marks another summer where they’ve signed one of England’s top performers. They landed Jack Grealish last summer and have now moved to add his England teammate to the ranks. Leeds, meanwhile, have signed Marc Roca as a replacement but are expected to make more signings, with Sheffield United’s Sander Berge among the names being linked. While it will sting a bit for Leeds fans, there won’t be too many who begrudge Phillips a move to one of England’s biggest and best clubs. The big thing as well is that Phillips completely ignored interest from Manchester United and as Romano says, only ever wanted to join City if he was to leave Elland Road. With a World Cup around the corner, it will certainly be interesting to see how Phillips does. He has the ability, and under Pep Guardiola, he should only improve further. Have something to tell us about this article?
Kalvin Phillips set to join Manchester City: But where will he fit?
Paying a maximum of £45 million for a current England international who fills a hole in your squad and can play several different roles has to go down as very good business indeed. And so Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City makes an awful lot of sense. The 26-year-old’s arrival from Leeds United has one very immediate benefit: replacing Fernandinho, the midfield stalwart who left the champions at the end of last season after nine trophy-filled years. The Brazilian’s on-field influence had diminished over the past two seasons — 12 Premier League starts in 2020-21, and then 10 in his final year — and while he still battled gamely and helped City to some important results, at age 36 (he turned 37 in early May), he wasn’t able to exert his old dominance, was not as mobile as he used to be and became a back-up player rather than a rotation option.
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