Pep Guardiola ‘more likely’ to go after Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips
The Guardian’s Manchester football correspondent Jamie Jackson believes Pep Guardiola is “more likely” to go after Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips than Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.
Leeds still harbour hopes of keeping the midfielder despite interest from City [The Sun, 1 June].
However, when discussing Manchester City’s transfer targets, Jackson believes Guardiola is more likely to go for Phillips than the likes of de Jong.
Talking on talkSPORT Breakfast [07:16, 2 June], Jackson said: “Pep [Guardiola] might have a little look at de Jong but he’s maybe after more of a Fernandinho replacement.
“He’s more likely to go for Phillips.”
Prepare for life without him
Jesse Marsch should begin to prepare for life without Phillips this summer.
If the Whites can generate a large fee for the England midfielder this summer then they could reinvest the money back into the side.
If Phillips has his heart set on leaving Elland Road, Marsch should be looking to reinvest cleverly into the squad to make the Whites are more rounded side.
The England midfielder is clearly vital to Leeds’ success over recent years but as the 26-year-old is coming into the prime of his career it is hard to begrudge him a move away.
Phillips does look like an ideal replacement for Fernandinho in the heart of City’s midfield and he would thrive with the immense talent that would surround him.
If a bid in the region of £60million comes in for the midfielder then Leeds would be foolish not to let Phillips leave the club.
Marsch is looking to undertake a massive rebuild at Elland Road and having a large transfer fee to reinvest in the squad would undoubtedly give him the best chance of making Leeds competitive in the Premier League again.
In other Leeds news, Blackburn are open to selling Leeds United target Ben Brereton Diaz this summer