Manchester City midfielder’s stance on summer reunion with former club revealed | OneFootball

Kalvin Phillips would love to move back to Leeds United in the summer transfer window after a season-long loan at Ipswich Town, as per a new report.

Phillips has failed to make the cut at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola for various reasons and all signs indicate a permanent exit is inevitable for the 29-year-old when he returns to the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.

The England international joined Manchester City from Leeds United after Fernandinho’s exit in the summer of 2022 but has failed to live up to the expectations and standards Guardiola has set for his squad since his appointment as manager in 2016.

After spending the second half of the 2023-24 campaign on loan at West Ham, Phillips joined Ipswich Town on a season-long loan last summer and after being relegated to the EFL Championship at Portman Road, Phillips will be back at Manchester City in a few months.

Manchester City re-signed Ilkay Gundogan from Barcelona on a free transfer last summer and added Nico Gonzalez to their ranks in the January transfer window; with academy graduate Nico O’Reilly also breaking in, there is little room or requirement for Phillips at City.

The 2023 treble winners are still expected to make wholesale changes to their squad in the summer and that will begin with a host of departures as Guardiola looks to make four to five impactful first-team signings to challenge on all fronts next season.

In recent months, Leeds United have been linked with a swoop for their former midfielder, who broke into the first-team at Elland Road after rising through the academy ranks and making himself an integral part of the first-team under Marcelo Bielsa.

As reported by TBR Football, Phillips would be delighted with a return to Elland Road to join hands with Leeds United in the summer transfer window to end what has been a torrid time at the Etihad Stadium.

City will bid farewell to Kevin in De Bruyne in a month whilst it remains to be seen if the 33-year-old will play any part in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States as he assesses offers and makes a decision on his next chapter.

Matheus Nunes has been linked with an exit after being told he is not preferred in his natural midfield position by Guardiola but after a strong spell of form in recent months, the Portuguese could well stay at the Etihad Stadium into the new season.