Leeds United are interested in bringing former player Kalvin Phillips back to the club this summer but may have to fork out a hefty sum to secure his services, according to reports.
Heading into the weekend, the Whites had the opportunity to sit top of the Championship if Norwich City managed to take three points from Ipswich Town in the East Anglian Derby. The Canaries did their job, coming away with a 1-0 win at Carrow Road thanks to a superb free-kick from range by Marcelino Nunez.
https://twitter.com/NorwichCityFC/status/1776630247301042253
However, Daniel Farke’s side failed in their own tricky test away at Coventry City. Leeds suffered a 2-1 defeat after goals from Ellis Simms and Haji Wright handed Mark Robins’ men the victory. Joel Piroe pulled one back inside the final 15 minutes but this turned out to be merely a consolation.
Following Leicester City’s late victory at the King Power Stadium against Birmingham City, the Yorkshire outfit have dropped down to third in the table, one point outside the play-offs. Furthermore, Farke’s men have some tricky games coming up, having to face the likes of Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Queens Park Rangers, and Southampton before the season ends.
Failing to return to the top-flight could considerably derail the club’s plans in the summer transfer window as they will no longer have Premier League money to fall back on to sign players for high fees.
Leeds United Face Stiff Competition For £24 Million-Rated Star
One such player is Kalvin Phillips. According to a report from FootballTransfers on Saturday, Leeds United are set to compete with Fulham for the midfielder’s signature as he looks to jump ship from Manchester City just two years after moving to the Etihad Stadium.
However, Football Insider are now reporting that Man City are not going to allow the 28-year-old to leave cheaply and are looking for between £30-40 million for his services, which could create complications if Leeds aren’t promoted.
Writer’s View
Phillips still has four years remaining on his current deal with the treble winners and the Man City board certainly won’t accept anything less than his market value, which is set at £24 million, as per Transfermarkt.
Nevertheless, the only way this deal possibly gets done is if Leeds United earn promotion back to the Premier League. Otherwise, a return to Elland Road will be completely off the table due to budgetary restrictions.
