Manchester City have completed the signing of midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Leeds on a six-year deal.
City agreed a £ 42m basic fee with Leeds for the England international last month, with the potential for an additional £ 3million to add bonuses.
Phillips, who moved to the youth ranks in Leeds, is moving to Etihad Stadium after making 235 appearances with his hometown club over the past eight seasons.
Phillips said: “I am absolutely delighted to have joined Manchester City.
“City have once again proved to be the best team in the country with an incredible squad and a Pep Guardiola coach who is rightly considered the best in the world.
“Being able to play with Pep and learn from him and his coaching staff, as well as being part of such a fantastic team is a prospect that I am incredibly excited about.
“City is a world-class club with world-class staff and facilities and it is a dream come true to have joined the club.”
Phillips is City’s fourth newcomer of the summer after the signings of Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega Moreno and Julian Alvarez.
Phillips gained prominence when Leeds won promotion to the Premier League in 2020 and settled in the top flight. He then played a key role for England as he reached the Euro 2020 final last year.
City football director Txiki Begiristain said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to welcome Kalvin to Manchester City.
“He is a player we have admired for a long time and, both nationally and internationally, he has demonstrated his skill and fantastic quality over the last few seasons.
“We believe it will be a great addition to our squad and that it will complement our game to perfection.”
The move was also confirmed by Leeds, who thanked Phillips for his long service.
A statement said: “No word can thank Kalvin enough for his efforts while he is at the club and we wish him nothing but success in the future.
“Kalvin inspired so many people in the city, not only for what he did in the countryside, but also for the work he did in the local community.
“He will always be a champion in Leeds, remembered for having played his part in getting the club back to where it belongs and he will always be welcome at Elland Road.”
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Manchester City’s new signing Kalvin Phillips says he is looking forward to working with Pep Guardiola after previously describing being “hypnotized” by the Spanish coach.
Phillips issued another statement in which he paid tribute to Leeds, especially coaches Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, and fans.
He described Leeds as “one of the best clubs on Earth” and that playing with them was a dream and a privilege.
He wrote: “I can’t mention Leeds without mentioning a special person: Marcelo. The best coach I’ve ever met. He was a man who gave life to the club, he gave the players and everyone involved in the club the belief that we were good enough to return to the Premier League after 16 years “.
“And now to Jesse, what an amazing coach you are, but what an even better person. You came into this club and you gave confidence to all the players and they believe in a very difficult season and that is what kept us in the league.”
To the fans, he added: “I hope you understand my decision and accept that I just want to pursue my dreams and put myself to the test against and with the best teams and best players on the planet.
“As a kid I had a lot of dreams and I still have … but playing for you was something I will never forget. You are the best fans in the world.”
Leeds later announced the arrival of City midfielder Darko Gyabi for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal.
Mills: “Outstanding” Phillips will take time to settle down
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Former Leeds defender Danny Mills believes “exceptional” Phillips will take time to settle at Manchester City
Former Leeds and Manchester City defender Danny Mills speaks to Sky Sports News:
“He is an exceptional player. I think he will enter his squad, but I have said before that I am not convinced that he will start all the matches. You have Rodri in this role of midfielder, he is a very congested midfielder, as well.
“His first season I think he will have to join the team and that will not be easy.
“He will still play more than 20 games next season, a bit like Raheem Sterling did this year. You have to accept Manchester City that you will be a player in the squad from time to time.
“I think it’s a move that Phillips couldn’t reject. He will now play football in the Champions League, challenging the Premier League and other trophies.
“It’s at this stage in his career where it’s an opportunity that’s probably too good to be true, so he really had no choice. As much as he loves Leeds, he had to take advantage of it.”
“Phillips could become a city legend”
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When Kalvin Phillips completes his move to Manchester City, look at the England midfielder’s best goals for Leeds United in the Premier League.
Former Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford tells Sky Sports News:
“It’s a phenomenal deal for someone who’s been through academia, it’s been nothing more and nothing less than an incredible promotion.
“On the other hand, it’s frustrating from a Leeds perspective, as we don’t want to see any of ours leave. He’s been a club man, setting an example with his performances. It’s a shame to see him leave.the angle of an amateur, but it is an amazing opportunity and no one would like the move.
“It’s a big deal for City, especially with Fernandinho’s departure. They’re replacing a living legend with another potential legend. I think it’s a brilliant deal from City’s perspective.
“I’m delighted with him. He’s such a lovely guy, a great guy. All the guys will be sad to see him leave.”
Life after Raphinha and Phillips: what about Leeds?
Sky Sports News senior journalist Tim Thornton examines what will be next for Leeds with stars Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips leaving the club this summer …
Leeds has been fully aware that these moves could happen for a while. They even learned last summer that Marcelo Bielsa could leave the club.
In January, they managed to fight interest and keep Phillips and Raphinha and have been planning ever since. This summer they have already made three signings with Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and Marc Roca. These players would have signed independently, but now there is money in the kitten.
We hope Leeds move quickly and bring new players to the club – another midfielder, a winger and a striker to play alongside Patrick Bamford, as Jesse Marsch likes to play two up front.
Leeds paid £ 16m for Raphinha and will try to do the same by buying players beforehand and developing them. This is the strategy. They will not spend between £ 60m and £ 70m on a single player. They have identified goals, know who they want and will move quickly to take them.
If Leeds can enter three more, they can argue it has been a good window, even though they have lost two massive players.
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The transfer window closes at 23:00 on 1 September.
Keep up to date with all the latest news and rumors about transfers on our blog dedicated to the Sky Sports Digital Platform Transfer Center. You can also catch up on details, outings and analysis at Sky Sports News.
Man City matches: The champions start at West Ham
Manchester City begin their Premier League title defense with a visit to West Ham on Sunday 7 August, with the match live on Sky Sports.
The first Manchester derby of the season is at the Etihad on 1 October, before City travel to Liverpool on 15 October.
The Champions League’s last pre-season break for the Winter World Cup is at Brentford’s home on November 12 and when the campaign resumes, they will face Leeds at Elland Road on Boxing Day. Day.
City have a difficult start to 2023 with consecutive tough-looking clashes at Chelsea and Manchester United on 2 and 14 January, respectively.
As the campaign draws to a close, Pep Guardiola’s side have their return meeting with Liverpool at the Etihad on 1 April and then host Chelsea on 20 May, before concluding at Brentford on 28 of May.