Burnley plot Man City transfer - it may interest Sheffield United | OneFootball

Kalvin Phillips' long-term future remains very much undecided at present

Premier League strugglers Burnley will reportedly plot another audacious summer transfer move for the services of current Sheffield United loanee, Kalvin Phillips, if they are relegated back to the Championship.

That is according to a fresh report from Alan Nixon - via Patreon - which surfaced on Sunday morning, as the Clarets' already perilous position inside the top-flight's relegation zone only worsened over the course of the weekend.

After Leeds United defeated Nottingham Forest 3-1 at Elland Road on Friday night, the East Lancashire side's own relegation six-pointer against West Ham United at Turf Moor saw Scott Parker's side defeated 2-0 to remain 11 points adrift of safety with 13 matches of their league campaign still to play.

Unlike the aforementioned Whites and Sunderland, Burnley haven't been able to make their mark on the Premier League after finishing second in last season's Championship with 100 points to their name, and they are now braced for a third relegation back to the EFL within a four-season period, with tension growing towards the aforementioned Parker and American owner, Alan Pace.

Despite their concerning position in the standings, Burnley conducted very few transfer dealings in order to reshape their squad for the remainder of the season, with the only incoming being James Ward-Prowse on a six-month loan from the Hammers, where he has hardly featured under the management of Nuno Espírito Santo.

It was reported that the aforementioned Phillips could have moved to Turf Moor from current Premier League champions, Manchester City, before the Blades were able to swoop and complete an eye-catching loan signing for the midfielder who previously won promotion from the Championship with Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa.

It remains to be seen what the long-term future holds for the 30-year-old midfielder, although speculation over this particular predicament has already begun as he could be set to make his bow for the Steel City side in Monday night's televised clash against promotion-chasing Middlesbrough at Bramall Lane.

Burnley plot summer transfer move for current Sheffield United loanee Kalvin Phillips

It has been a difficult period for the former Leeds academy graduate ever since he completed a £42m switch to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2022 on a six-year contract.

After previously starring at Elland Road under Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, Phillips has made just 32 competitive appearances under Pep Guardiola, with his current loan stint with the Blades following on from previous temporary spells with West Ham and Ipswich Town.

As a result of ineligibility and fitness-related issues, the 31-time England international has made just one appearance so far this season for the Citizens, which came in their 2-0 success over League One promotion hopefuls, Huddersfield Town, in the EFL Cup on September 24th, with the midfielder playing for just seven of the 90 minutes, as well as being named as an unused substitute against Swansea City in the following round.

It was reported on January 30th that both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley were plotting a late transfer raid for Phillips, before he returned to Yorkshire the following day for the remainder of the campaign.

However, Nixon states that the Clarets will hope to strike a deal for the midfielder in the summer window, as they see him as the ideal player who could help spearhead a promotion charge.

The report does state, though, that United will also hope to retain Phillips in the long run, although the current Premier League side could offer a better deal for his services, albeit this is expected to also be in the form of a loan switch.

Kalvin Phillips will hope to focus on football-related matters at Sheffield United

At this moment in time, it is clear that Phillips will be hoping it is his performances on the pitch which generate headlines, rather than continuous speculation.

The experienced midfielder is joining a side who will continue to harbour ambitions of a late play-off charge, and a victory against Middlesbrough on Monday night could see Chris Wilder's side move to within five points of Wrexham, who currently occupy sixth, with 15 matches remaining.

So far in his career, Phillips has made 165 Championship appearances, scoring 12 goals and providing a further 10 assists.