Manchester City star attracting interest from former club after disastrous loan start and Pep Guardiola fallout

Leeds United will make former fan favourite Kalvin Phillips a priority target in the summer if they secure promotion to the Premier League at the end of the season.

The 28-year-old joined Manchester City from Leeds United in the summer of 2022 but after a horrid 18 months marred by injuries and restricted minutes at the Etihad Stadium, he moved to West Ham on loan till the end of the season in January.

In a recent interview with The Times, Phillips opened on his struggles on and off the pitch with the Premier League champions and an apparent tarnished relationship with Pep Guardiola after the Catalan’s ‘overweight’ remarks regarding the Yorkshireman in 2022.

Guardiola subsequently apologised to Phillips for his comments in a press conference but maintained that he did convey his concerns around the midfielder’s weight to Phillips before making them public.

Phillips has made a series of notable mistakes directly leading to goal in his first few appearances for West Ham – and was sent off in the Hammers’ 2-0 loss to Nottingham Forest last week.

Things have not gone Phillips’ way since he embarked on a dream move to Manchester City from boyhood club Leeds United, but that could soon change as the Whites reignite their interest in their former midfielder.

According to Football Insider, Leeds have placed Phillips at the top of their summer shopping list should they secure promotion back to the English top-flight next season.

The Championship outfit are set to invest significantly in their squad come the end of the season and have prioritised the signing of a deep-lying midfielder.

Manchester City will be keen to cash in on Phillips, who has already been deemed surplus to requirements at the Etihad Stadium, and will be hoping that his time in east London can help them recover a reasonable amount of the £42 million they spent on the Englishman.