Manchester City are expected to formalise their approach for Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips after England's upcoming Nations League fixtures, according to reports.
The Premier League champions have identified Phillips as their priority target to replace the outgoing Fernandinho and are set to step up their pursuit of the 26-year-old in the weeks to follow.
Frenkie De Jong, Declan Rice and Paul Pogba were all linked with a potential switch to the Etihad Stadium in recent months but Manchester City are understood to be maintaining their focus solely on a deal for Kalvin Phillips, who could leave his boyhood club in the summer as he enters the final two years on his contract at Elland Road.
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It was reported recently that Leeds are negotiating a fresh deal with their academy graduate to tie the England international down to a long-term contract amid interest from Manchester City.
Moreover, it was believed Leeds' survival in the Premier League on the final day of the previous season would hand them an advantage in negotiations with City, who could be demanded to pay a huge sum to secure the arrival of a key target for Pep Guardiola ahead of the upcoming transfer window.
However, it has since been revealed that despite Leeds fighting relegation and staying up, City remain keen on a swoop for Kalvin Phillips, who is admired by both Pep Guardiola and director of football Txiki Begiristain, and that their pursuit of the Leeds-born midfielder remains on.
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According to a new report by James Ducker of The Telegraph, Manchester City will formalise their efforts to sign Kalvin Phillips after England's upcoming Nations League games against Italy and Hungary.
With West Ham and Aston Villa also keen on signing the Leeds star, the Blues do not intend to wait around further and are expected to make a formal approach to the Yorkshire outfit over their key midfielder later this month.
It has further been mentioned that the historic rivalry between Manchester United and Leeds United and the hatred between the clubs' fanbases have scuppered any chances of a switch to Old Trafford for Phillips.
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Leeds retain hopes of tying Phillips to a new deal and keep him at Elland Road for another year before potentially letting him leave next summer.
Manchester City have already closed deals for Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez and are expected to make further additions to their squad ahead of the new season, with Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella reported to be high up on Pep Guardiola's wishlist.
There remains uncertainty surrounding the respective futures of Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Ilkay Gundogan and Oleksandr Zinchenko at the Etihad Stadium, with Nathan Ake looking set to stay following his latest comments in an interview this week.
Topics: Kalvin Phillips, Leeds United, Manchester City, Premier League, Transfers
Vayam Lahoti