By Saikat Mandal

16th Jun, 2022 | 12:04pm

Leeds United line up Sander Berge as replacement for Kalvin Phillips

Leeds United are looking at replacements for Kalvin Phillips already, and they have earmarked Sander Berge as an option, as reported by Dean Jones of Give Me Sport.

Jones, who previously worked for Bleacher Report, wrote on 16 June that Sheffield United’s Berge is on the radar of Leeds, and as of now, no clubs have made any formal move for the 24-year-old midfielder.

It is understood that the Blades value him at around £25 million, and Victor Orta has a “good chance” of landing him.

Smart choice?

With every passing day, it’s becoming more and more clear that Phillips could be on his way out of Elland Road this summer.

Manchester City are determined to land him and the deal is expected to progress if they offer something around £50 million.

The Whites have been incredibly busy in the transfer market so far, where they are close to landing their third signing.

If Phillips leaves, Leeds will definitely need another solid midfielder as a replacement.

Berge is a Norway international, who joined the Blades in 2019. He has made 66 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals.

He is too good a player to be wasting his talent playing in the Championship. An energetic box-to-box midfielder, he could be a very good addition to the club.

Obviously, he is a different type of player from the England midfielder. Phillips is a typical defensive midfielder who drops deep, sprinkles out passes and is a safety belt for the back-four.

Berge, on the other hand, can play both as a traditional central midfielder as well as an attacking midfielder.

However, the deal is more likely to happen once Phillips seals his exit.

In other Leeds United news, the Whites have verbally agreed a deal for a Spanish club to make a windfall due to a 20 per cent transfer clause.