How Kalvin Phillips really feels about leaving Man City for Sheffield United permanently | OneFootball

Kalvin Phillips' stance on leaving Manchester City for Sheffield United permanently has been revealed in a fresh update

A significant summer squad rebuilding process is poised to be undertaken at Sheffield United, who have dramatically underperformed throughout the 2025/26 Championship campaign following an agonising play-off final defeat to Sunderland in May of last year.

The ship has, of course, been steadied after Chris Wilder's swift return to replace Ruben Selles in the wake of a disastrous start to the season, although the Blades' season has now fizzled out and will be concluded with an uninspiring mid-table finish.

United's current winless streak stretches to six matches, with Wilder's side sitting all the way down in 17th position at this moment in time.

The Blades boss acted with intent to re-jig the squad which he had inherited following Selles' sacking by sanctioning the premature terminations of multiple loan deals while making four additions during the January window and tying both Patrick Bamford and Jairo Riedewald down to longer-term contracts.

One of the side's January acquisitions was ex-Leeds United starlet Kalvin Phillips, who returned to Yorkshire and the Championship on loan after enduring a dismal spell with Manchester City, having previously shone at Elland Road.

An eye-catching arrival at the time, Phillips made three appearances for the South Yorkshire outfit before his dismissal in February's 2-1 victory over Steel City rivals Sheffield Wednesday, in which the midfielder also suffered a knee injury that has kept him sidelined ever since.

He is, however, set to return to action before the season's conclusion, and beyond this term, the 30-year-old's stance on potentially joining United permanently has now been made clearer.

How Kalvin Phillips feels about leaving Man City for Sheffield United permanently

As reported in a fresh update from The Star, Phillips is eager to complete a permanent switch to Sheffield United this summer as he prepares to enter the final year of his contract with Man City.

The 31-cap ex-England international has found himself perennially out of favour under Pep Guardiola, having thrice departed the Etihad Stadium on loan, with just 16 league appearances to show for nearly four years with the Cityzens after completing a reported £45 million move from Leeds United in the summer of 2022.

The aforementioned report has detailed that Phillips has embraced a new lease of life back in South Yorkshire, where he is keen to move permanently once the summer rolls around.

It would appear as though this position is shared by the Blades, too, who are reportedly set to explore a full-time move for the Man City outcast.

Wilder has been an outspoken fan of Phillips' on many occasions now, meaning it's perhaps no great surprise to see United setting their sights on landing a fresh agreement.

Sheffield United facing one Kalvin Phillips, Man City transfer worry

At this stage, it would be reasonable to say that there's a good chance of Sheffield United finding themselves capable of making Phillips' stay at Bramall Lane a permanent one considering the player's own stance and lowly position in Guardiola's pecking order ahead the final year of his deal with the Premier League title contenders.

The snag, however, is that the Blades' parachute payments package is set to run its course, which will incur a tightening of the financial purse-strings and accordingly add a fresh degree of difficulty to any deals that they may look to complete this summer.

The two clubs were able to agree on a deal which is currently seeing United merely pay a "fraction" of Phillips' lucrative contract at Man City, and that will offer yet more confidence of completing a second swoop, although any such move will hinge on how willing the Cityzens are to play ball and get the Blades loan man off the club's books for good.