Kalvin Phillips Ready for Massive Wage Cut as Wilder Plans Sheffield United Rescue Mission

Chris Wilder, the Sheffield United manager, is determined to try and broker a deal for Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips after the former Leeds midfielder confirmed his interest in moving to Bramall Lane, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.

Capped 31 times by England, Phillips spent the second half of last season on loan with The Blades before seeing his time there curtailed by injury.

As SportsBoom exclusively revealed earlier this year, Phillips made no secret of his desire to orchestrate a move away from the Etihad Stadium during talks with City chiefs at the beginning of the campaign. 

To emphasise a message he also delivered to the outgoing Pep Guardiola, Phillips is known to have been reluctant to return to the North-West for treatment on the knee complaint which limited his involvement at United, asking instead to be rehabilitated in South Yorkshire.

Although Wilder’s transfer budget is coming under pressure from different directions, thanks to a combination of new EFL financial rules and his employers’ loss of a Premier League parachute payment, he still hopes Phillips’ willingness to join the Blades means an agreement can be struck with the player and his representatives. 

CAPTURE

By allowing Jairo Riedewald to depart, despite holding a 12-month option on the Dutchman, United’s coaching staff have signalled their resolve to capture Phillips permanently - creating room on a balance sheet which has seen around £34m stripped from it by recent Championship regulations.

Having also undertaken a scouting mission in Scotland, under the auspices of a recreational trip, Wilder held talks earlier this week with the Blades hierarchy about an upcoming squad makeover which, according to a number of well-placed sources, is unlikely to be as extensive as many commentators have predicted. 

As well as keeping tabs on Birmingham City’s Mark Leonard, despite suggestions to the contrary, Wilder also observed Hearts duo Craig Halkett and Cameron Devlin in action during a recent visit to Tynecastle.

REDUCTION

Although Phillips wages at Manchester City are way beyond anything United could even contemplate paying, the 30-year-old has told friends he is ready to accept a huge reduction in salary to convince Wilder to sign him. 

His relationship with Guardiola never recovered following the Catalan’s criticism of his conditioning, soon after luring Phillips away from Elland Road in 2022. 

Having also been loaned out to West Ham and Ipswich Town, he has made only 32 appearances for City since that switch and is not expected to feature in Enzo Maresca’s plans, as the one-time Chelsea chief looks set to succeed Guardiola.