Manchester City Reach Agreement to Sign Leeds Midfielder

Manchester City have reached an agreement to sign Leeds United’s England midfielder Kalvin Phillips for a fee of around £45m.

The blues have been in the hunt for a defensive midfielder since Brazilian legend Fernandinho announce he was leaving the club at the end of the season. Manager Pep Guardiola was thought to have made Phillips a top priority this summer, and it now look like the boss has landed his man.

Phillips came through the Leeds academy and made his senior debut for the club in 2015. He was a key figure in Leeds’ push for promotion, and has made 214 appearances for the Yorkshire whites since then.

The midfielder, who will be competing with Rodri for a place in the starting line-up, also starred for England during last summer’s Euro championships, being a key figure in midfield as England made their first major final appearance since 1966.

The deal is worth an initial £45m, but add-ons will push that fee closer to £50m, and the midfielder is understood to have turned down other offers in order to work with Guardiola. City are expected to off-set this amount with Gabriel Jesus set to sign for Arsenal in a £50m deal, while the futures of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva are also yet to be determined.

The blues have already announced the signing of Norwegian striker Erling Haaland and are still on the look out for a proven left back, with Brighton’s Marc Cucurella still in the frame, while Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney has also entered the rumour mill recently.