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Manchester City are likely to have to wait until August before finalising a move for Kalvin Phillips this summer, and all parties hope a permanent solution can be found to end his Etihad exile.
The 29-year-old is being linked with a return to Leeds United. His three-year stay in Manchester after leaving Elland Road has been disastrous. Signed for £42million in 2022, City will be lucky to recoup a quarter of that now.
Injuries blighted his first season at the club, and he didn't start in the Premier League until the final day of that season, by which point it already felt clear that the player simply didn't fit this system.
In hindsight, it would have made sense for City and Phillips to cut their losses in 2023. At that point, he was still an England international, and there would have been a strong market for him. Now, his stock has plummeted and loan spells at West Ham and Ipswich have failed to reignite a spark.
Maybe City will have that in their minds when they consider what to do with Nico Gonzalez this summer. The 23-year-old, signed from Porto for £50million in January, has had a tricky start to his own career at the club.
It's certainly not been at the level of Phillips' beginnings, and Gonzalez was being hailed as a 'mini Rodri' by Pep Guardiola back in February. But City spent £46.3million on Tijjani Reijnders last month and Gonzalez is no longer guaranteed a place in the side.
He was a substitute for five of the final eight Premier League games of the season and didn't even come on in three of those fixtures. At the Club World Cup, he played 61 minutes against Al Ain, but didn't come off the bench against Wydad AC, Juventus or Al Hilal, which feels pretty telling about his current status.
Competition for a midfield role is fierce, especially with Rodri back fit. Reijnders looks like his natural partner, Bernardo Silva is now the club captain and Ilkay Gundogan impressed at the Club World Cup.
Where does that leave Gonzalez? There are enough games to go around, but if Guardiola is having doubts, it can be difficult to change his opinion. His lack of minutes in America might be setting alarm bells ringing.
And if Guardiola is now unsure about his January signing, perhaps this is the time to cut your losses. At the moment, the Spanish midfielder remains a high-value player, but if he has a season where he barely features, his value will plummet.
City need to sell a couple of foreign players this summer and although they've only just signed Gonzalez, there might be mileage in the idea of letting him go already.
Kevin de Bruyne is one of - if not the - greatest players to play for Manchester City.
He leaves the club having won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups and a memorable Champions League victory!
To mark his amazing time at the Etihad Stadium, this special edition has been produced - KDB The King - to celebrate Kev's career with the Blues. We look back at his 10 best games in Blue, celebrate his title wins and hear from the City boss and a host of team-mates and football elite who give their views on what makes him so special.
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