Manchester City are close to signing Kalvin Phillips having reached a verbal agreement with Leeds that would see the Premier League champions spend £42m plus add-ons for the midfielder.
City having been tracking Phillips for most of the summer and now appear to have got their man. Talks are in the final stages with progress having also been made on the player’s contract and, all going well, Phillips could complete his move from Elland Road to the Etihad Stadium within the next week.
His departure would represent a significant blow for Leeds. Born and raised in the city, Phillips progressed through the club’s academy to become a key figure for the side, especially during Marcelo Bielsa’s time as manager. The Argentinian converted the 26-year-old into a playmaking defensive midfielder and the transition went so well that Phillips was called-up to the England squad in August 2020, making his debut against Denmark a month later. He continued to do well for club and country and became a key for England during their run to the final of Euro 2020.
Phillips was restricted to 23 appearances in all competition last season due to a hamstring injury but featured in Leeds’ final eight Premier League games as Jesse Marsch’s men avoided relegation via a last-day victory over Brentford.
Phillips will be City’s second signing of the summer, following the £51.5m arrival of Erling Haaland. They are also expected to bid for Brighton’s highly-rated full-back Marc Cucurella.
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One player seemingly on his way out of City is Gabriel Jesus after a verbal agreement was reached with Arsenal that will see the Brazil forward move there for £45m.
Jesus has been linked with Arsenal for some time but their hopes of acquiring the 25-year-old appeared to be in jeopardy after Tottenham and Chelsea also indicated they wanted him. Both clubs cooled their interest, however, leaving Arsenal clear to sign the player. A deal is expected to be completed soon.
Meanwhile, Newcastle are close to signing Sven Botman from Lille for €40m (£34.4m) with add-ons.
The Dutch defender was wanted by Newcastle’s manager, Eddie Howe, in January but a deal could not be completed. It should now happen his summer.
Botman would be Newcastle’s third signing of the summer following the arrivals of Matt Targett from Aston Villa and Nick Pope from Burnley.