It has been pretty calm and quiet at Elland Road since the past few days. Leeds United are gearing up for another promotion push after squandering it towards the closure of the previous campaign. But they have now been dealt a massive blow in their battle to retain Kalvin Phillips, according to The Sun.
The homegrown prodigy has been in Aston Villa’s radar for a while, and the Premier League new boys offered a fee of around £15m to secure his services earlier this window. But the Whites rate the 23-year-old much higher than Villa’s valuation. The arrival of Douglas Luiz at Villa Park cooled down the talks due to the Claret and Blue’s denial of matching Leeds’ demand.
But the player is now desperate to force his way out of the club to Villa and has decided to stay put even on less money to force Leeds United’s hand. He is under contract until June 2021 and things, therefore, would complicate further if both the player and the club stay rigid in their decisions.
Why It Would Be A Major Setback In Leeds’ Promotion Aspiration
Phillips, a versatile midfield star, has made 139 senior appearances for the West Yorkshire giants. But the spell under Marcelo Bielsa has been the most productive one considering he was deployed in the ‘hole’ in between the backline and ‘midfield four’. He not only marshalled the defence but also initiated counter-attacks from the deep with his strong dribbling technique, vision and the range of passing.
The youngster has been featuring in Leeds United’s ongoing pre-season outings but received marching order yesterday in their 1-1 draw against Cagliari. It is to be seen now whether he makes it to the matchday squad next weekend against Bristol City in their maiden Championship encounter or plies his trade to Aston to fulfil his desire.
Why Phillips Should Stay At Leeds For At Least One More Season
The interest from Premier League must have turned his head despite knowing it might hinder his development. Villa are closing in on Marvelous Nakamba whereas the presence of Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Conor Hourihane, Birkir Bjarnason and Henri Lansbury might deny him assured game-time that he would attain at Leeds without a shadow of a doubt.
Bielsa plans his strategy around Phillips and the player should focus on improving his game furthermore to draw the attention of even bigger outfits next summer.
