Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the status of West Ham loanee Kalvin Phillips, who is linked with Leeds United and Fulham.
Leeds are expected to make a surprise approach for the former Elland Road fan favourite if they make it back to the Premier League.
The 28-year-old’s career has stalled since joining Manchester City, and his loan with West Ham has been nothing short of disastrous.
However, Romano believes any idea of a return to Leeds in the summer is premature at this time.
“From what I understand, all reports linking the player with the likes of Leeds and Fulham are really premature because nothing has been decided and nothing is concrete,” Romano remarked in his Daily Briefing column [8 April].
“This is not kind of deal for April or May; Leeds’ full focus is not on the market but on the Championship now as they chase promotion back to the Premier League.”
Kalvin Phillips’ valuation as Leeds United circle
Phillips cannot be blamed for joining Manchester City when he did, having proven himself in the Premier League with Leeds and at international level with England.
However, for whatever reason, he has not been given a chance under Pep Guardiola, and his future is unlikely to be at the Etihad Stadium.
It is safe to assume that West Ham will not attempt to extend the loan contract in the summer, leaving Phillips to hope for a move to another team.
The main issue is that signing him will most certainly cost £30 million or more, which is a large figure given how little he has done in the last two years.
Still, if Leeds do make it back to the top flight, it is an option worth considering. At the same time, at a comparable or even lower price, there are players who appear to be better suited to playing under Daniel Farke right now.
For the time being, let’s just aim to finish in the top two and see what happens over the summer.
