Aston Villa strongly admire Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips
Aston Villa are looking to bolster their midfield, and they “strongly admire” Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, according to reports from The Athletic.
The Midlands club made several unsuccessful attempts to sign Phillips back in 2019, but it seems they are still keen on him.
Philipps has been linked to both Manchester United and Liverpool in recent months [The Sun], but Villa’s chances of getting him are slim, and definitely not in January.
The knee injury to Marvelous Nakamba has left Villa short of options in defensive midfield. The report states:
“If they were to recruit in this area, it would only be to strengthen the department, rather than simply add to the numbers. Kalvin Phillips is a player Villa strongly admire but the difficulty of getting him out of Leeds if they remain a Premier League club makes it a non-starter for now.”
Not going to happen
Phillips is a key player at Leeds United and he is in no rush to leave his boyhood club.
At the same time, Phillips has been simply spectacular for both club and country over the last few years, and may have outgrown himself at Leeds.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has hailed him as “phenomenal”, and Steven Gerrard rates him very highly [Birmingham Mail].
Leeds rejected multiple offers in excess of £20 million for Phillips in 2019, and it would require a massive offer to lure him away from Elland Road now.
Even if there’s a good offer on the table, Phillips may not be willing to join them, for he might think a move to a top-six club would be beneficial for his development.
Phillips is currently injured, and he is unlikely to return before March. He is expected to play a big role towards the end of the season, as Leeds looking to climb up the table.
In other Leeds United news, the club are well poised to sign a ‘Magnificent’ centre mid in January with a European club open to his sale