I am incredibly excited – Kalvin Phillips links up with Manchester City

Manchester City have completed the signing of Kalvin Phillips from Leeds in a deal worth up to a potential £45million.

The Premier League champions announced on Monday the England midfielder had signed a six-year contract at the Etihad Stadium.

City agreed a basic £42million fee with Leeds last month with a potential further £3million to be added in bonuses.

He is the fourth addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad this summer after the arrivals of Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega Moreno and Julian Alvarez.

Phillips said: “I am absolutely delighted to have joined Manchester City.

“City have again proved to be the best team in the country with an amazing squad and a manager in Pep Guardiola who is rightly considered to be the finest in the world.

“To be able to play under Pep and learn from him and his coaching staff as well as be part of such a fantastic squad is a prospect that I am incredibly excited about.

“City are a world-class club with world-class staff and facilities and it’s a dream come true to have joined the club.”

Phillips, 26, came through the youth ranks at hometown Leeds and made his debut at the age of 19 in 2015.

He was converted from an attacking midfielder to a deep-lying playmaker by former manager Marcelo Bielsa and, after rejecting a move to Aston Villa, shone as Leeds won promotion back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence in 2020.

He earned his first England cap in September of that year and went on to start every game at Euro 2020, where Gareth Southgate’s side reached the final.

His final season at Leeds was disrupted by injury but ended on a positive note as relegation was avoided on the final day of the campaign.

Phillips admitted his decision had been a difficult one but now hopes to take his