Report: Leeds want midfielder but English club want £42m if they are to sell him

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The Daily Star claim Leeds United are keen on re-signing Kalvin Phillips this summer but if Manchester City are to sell the England man – then they want their initial outlay of £42m back. Phillips is struggling under Pep Guardiola.

Phillips, 27, left Leeds for the first time last summer having played 214 times for his boyhood club. Leeds raked in a fee of £42million – plus a further £3million in add-ons. Those bonuses are unlikely to have been met as of yet.

That is because the 25-time England midfielder has managed just 13 appearances all season for the Premier League champions – failing to start a single League game this term. The report from The Star claims Leeds want him back.

However, they are not alone. West Ham are also interested as they look to bring in a replacement for Declan Rice – who is expected to leave the Hammers this summer. Manchester City are ready to play hard ball over him, though.

If they are to sell Phillips – who was impressive in the 90 minutes he clocked up in Naples during England’s 2-1 win over Italy last week – then they want the initial fee they spend to lure him to The Etihad. A fee of £42million.

Leeds keen on re-signing Kalvin Phillips but Manchester City want £42m

Do Leeds need Phillips back? Of course, re-signing Phillips would delight fans given the England star is a local hero, a player that can change games and was a key component of the side that finally regained a place in the top tier.

But is he worth spending a club-record fee on? When we have Tyler Adams and Marc Roca, and potentially Weston McKennie? It might be that if Leeds feel Phillips is ready to go, then he would be the better signing that McKennie.