Manchester City are being linked with a potential move for Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
Pep Guardiola has the task of finding a Fernandinho replacement, with the Brazilian heading back to his native country this summer. Rodri has had a fantastic campaign and will undoubtedly be his manager’s primary pick for the holding role next season.
Whoever comes in will likely play second fiddle - something that Phillips will not like the sound of. The England international helped Leeds survive relegation after coming back from a long-term hamstring injury in March.
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His love for his boyhood club is evident and only a move full of guarantees will prise him away from Elland Road, where he is contracted until 2024. Speaking last month to BBC Radio Leeds, the 26-year-old set the record straight regarding his future. "I've made what I want to do clear. I've made my intentions clear. I want to be at Leeds and I'll focus on that until my contract ends,” he said.
“I'm not really worried about it (transfer speculation) too much. It's always been something I've been confident about sorting whenever it needs sorting. There's always going to be noise when you're an England international and you're playing for one of the biggest teams in the country, and I think until the end of the season, I'll be happy at Leeds and always will be."
This may be enough to put off Guardiola. The City boss has shown before he will not batter down the doors to try and convince a player to change his mind.
This was exemplified in the cases of Leroy Sane and Ferran Torres. Both had their minds set on exits to Bayern Munich and Barcelona respectively, and he did not stand in their way.
Players must want to be at Manchester City. Therefore, if Phillips is not keen on exiting his contract early and even entertaining a move to the Premier League champions, the pursuit ends there.
Guardiola is building a dynasty, not just a team. He needs players who are with him from the off and prepared to sacrifice game-time if it's for the good of the team.
No one can begrudge Phillips staying at his beloved Leeds, where he will be getting regular game-time and England call-ups. But Guardiola won’t try and convince a player to join City - they should want to come. The club’s name and trophy cabinet, by now, should say it all.
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