Leeds rejected £55m deadline day West Ham bid for Kalvin Phillips – report
Leeds rejected a £55million deadline day bid from West Ham for Kalvin Phillips, who is also a target for Manchester United, according to The Sun.
The Hammers were reported to have made a £50m bid for both Raphinha [90min] and Phillips [The Sun] during the January window, but the Whites turned both away out of hand.
The Sun are now reporting that West Ham actually returned on deadline day with a £55m bid for midfielder Phillips, but Leeds were reluctant to sell following defeat to Newcastle as their league position remains in the balance.
They say that the club were locked in talks about a deal for three weeks and that Karren Brady rang Angus Kinnear about increasing the offer on the final day of the window.
They wanted to pair him in midfield with England teammate Declan Rice, although Manchester United are reportedly keen on both midfielders this summer too.
Smart
Selling Kalvin Phillips will never be a good idea from a Leeds perspective in all honesty, but doing it on deadline day in the middle of a relegation battle would have just been plain stupid.
Phillips isn’t expected to return from injury until March, but his presence on the training ground and in the dressing room alone will be huge as they look to maintain their Premier League status.
At £55m, the money would be great. But survival is worth far more to Leeds and keeping Phillips in and around the squad gives them a better chance of that.
Phillips is keen to sign a new contract according to reports, but interest in their best player is no shock. The quicker they can get terms agreed on a new deal the better.
As for West Ham’s attempts, they’ll likely return in the summer, but good luck with that. Leeds are doing things right for once.
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