Premier League newcomers Ipswich have won the race to sign Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips on loan.
Everton and Fulham were also interested in the 28-year-old England international, who has fallen out of favour at City, but he has opted for last season's Championship runners-up.
It is understood that a loan deal has been agreed in principle and Phillips is scheduled to have his medical on Thursday.
Ipswich face a race against time if they are to register Phillips in time for him to be eligible for the visit of Liverpool in Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off.
Phillips’ £42m move to City in 2022, when he signed a six-year deal, has failed to pay off after struggling to impress manager Pep Guardiola.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham but made only three starts in 10 appearances, one of which lasted just 45 minutes and another which ended in a red card.
Meanwhile, Brighton have activated a £40m release clause in Leeds forward Georginio Rutter's contract.
The Premier League club have been reported to have had bids of £29m and £35m for the Frenchman turned down by Leeds, who do not want to lose the 22-year-old.
No other club can activate the release clause after Brighton beat the midnight deadline on Wednesday, it is understood.
Leeds signed Rutter in January last year on a five-and-a-half-year contract from Hoffenheim for a club-record deal, which could rise to £35m.
The EFL Championship club now face an anxious wait for Rutter to decide whether he stays with them or moves on to the top flight with Brighton.
He has established himself as a fans’ favourite at Elland Road, scoring eight goals and making 16 assists in a total of 51 appearances last season as Leeds missed out on an immediate Premier League return after relegation.
Since losing 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley in May they have sold two of their best players, Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville, to Tottenham and West Ham respectively.
Leeds fans had been expecting those departures – Gray for around £30m, which could rise to £40m, and Summerville for a reported £25m plus add-ons.
The loss of their talisman Rutter following last Saturday’s opening-day draw against Portsmouth would be a big blow to manager Daniel Farke’s bid for automatic promotion this season.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
