Manchester City have agreed a £45 million deal with Leeds United to obtain the services of their captain Kalvin Phillips. The transfer shall see Leeds United bank an initial £42 million, with another £3 million as potential add-ons on the table. 

Kalvin Phillips, who is a Leeds academy product having stayed with the club since the start of his career, came through the ranks at Leeds United under the tutelage of mercurial manager Marcelo Bielsa and has gone on to establish himself as a regular international for England with his all-action displays in the middle of the park for the all-whites in the Premier League. 

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He will now wear the sky-blue colours of the reigning champions, subject to personal terms being agreed upon and a medical, joining the squad in place of city legend Fernandinho who departed from the club this season after an extremely successful spell at the club, at least in the domestic context, if not European. 

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The capture of 26-year-old Phillips will be seen as yet another major coup for the big-spending citizens in the transfer market after City recently sealed the signing of young superstar Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. City will have thus, in two swift moves, eliminated what many pundits considered to be their two main weaknesses, although weakness would be an extreme term to use for this prolific city team. 

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In Phillips, they will now have another midfielder in their engine room who is one of the best in the league at ball recoveries, has an unrelenting engine, and is also a stand-out passer of the football. In fact, his numbers more than stack up against Rodri, who is the chief midfielder in the City team presently, and with whom Phillips will likely be fighting for a place at the Etihad. 

Last season, when Rodri was unavailable, City, while still imposing themselves on their opponents, did seem to have a softer underbelly. But with the addition of Kalvin Phillips to their ranks, City look set to challenge on all fronts next season, and opponents will have to figure out new ways to live with their relentless football.