Elland Road return stories persist for 'out-in-the-wilderness' Phillips

Reports linking Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips with a return to boyhood club Leeds United appeared to have started from the moment the Whites academy product sealed a big-money move to the Etihad Stadium.

- by Kyle Newbould

The 31-times capped England international made over 200 appearances for the Whites after initially breaking into the senior setup at Elland Road in 2015.

But his time with the club he supported as a boy came to an end in the summer of 2022 when City saw off interest from several other interested clubs to secure a £42m deal for the midfielder.

Phillips endured a challenging spell with Pep Guardiola's side and has made just six starts for City over the last three seasons with the vast major of his game-time coming during underwhelming loan stints with West Ham United and Ipswich Town.

Now back with City, there has been talk suggesting Leeds could make a move to tempt Phillips back to Elland Road just over three years after his departure and the midfielder has never shied away from showing his affection for the Whites.

Speaking about Leeds last year as he struggled to make an impact on loan at Ipswich, the midfielder told the East Anglian Daily Times: "I went to that game [playoff final] and was devastated they didn't go up.