"Man City are serious" – talkSPORT reporter drops claim on £60m ace Pep could sign after Haaland

Manchester City ‘are serious’ about signing Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips this summer, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.

The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from Elland Road in recent weeks as he has so far been unable to agree terms on a new contract with his boyhood club.

Phillips only has two years remaining on his existing deal and although negotiations have been ongoing for several months, it now appears unlikely that he’ll put pen to paper and extend his stay with Leeds.

According to The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell, sources close to the west Yorkshire outfit ‘sound increasingly resigned’ to losing the engine room operator.

However, a controversial switch to Leeds’ bitter rivals Manchester United is not believed to be a genuine option for Phillips as he doesn’t want to tarnish his reputation with the club’s fanbase.

Whitwell states that Manchester City, on the other hand, offer a much more palatable, and realistic, destination for the England international, who has been described as a “destroyer”, opening the door to a potential switch to the Etihad Stadium.

Previous reports have stated that Phillips has a £60 million price tag, and he could become Pep Guardiola’s second signing of the summer following the arrival of Erling Haaland.

Bayern Munich’s Marc Roca is believed to be on Leeds’ radar, and Crook believes the 25-year-old is being lined up as Phillips’ replacement at the base of midfield.

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He told GiveMeSport: “I think that they’re sort of selling it as he’s coming in to complement Phillips and play alongside him. I think that might be wishful thinking.

“Man City are serious about signing Phillips, which I