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Ipswich Town have agreed a loan deal with Manchester City to sign Kalvin Phillips for the season.
The England international midfielder is set to join the promoted club as he looks to revive his career after a disastrous two years.
Ipswich saw off interest from Everton and Fulham, who both also wanted to borrow him from Premier League champions. Phillips also had admirers abroad, but his preference was to remain in England.
The 28-year-old cost City £42.5m in 2022 but has only started six games for them and just two in the Premier League, with Pep Guardiola admitting last December that he struggled to see Phillips in his side.
The former Leeds player was an unused substitute in Saturday’s Community Shield when Guardiola selected teenager Nico O’Reilly ahead of him. While City are willing to sell him, his loan deal does not include an option for Ipswich to make the move permanent.
Phillips’ forthcoming spell at Portman Road will be his second loan spell after he spent four months at West Ham last season, though he only started three games in a troubled stint in London. Phillips was dropped from the England squad by Gareth Southgate in March after a difficult start to life at West Ham.
He will become Ipswich’s seventh summer signing and their second from City after buying striker Liam Delap.
Manager Kieran McKenna has also brought in goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, defenders Jacob Greaves, Conor Townsend and Ben Johnson and winger Omari Hutchinson.
Meanwhile, City have also lost winger Oscar Bobb, who has a broken leg. Guardiola’s side have only added Savinho to the squad as a senior signing, while Julian Alvarez has left for Atletico Madrid in a big-money deal.
Neither of City’s main title rivals, Liverpool and Arsenal, have been busy this summer so far either – the latter adding Riccardo Calafiori as their only senior signing and the Reds yet to bring in anyone.
