Rijo Sam Daniel
Manchester United dealt a transfer blow as Kalvin Phillips wants to sign a new contract at Leeds United
According to The Mirror, Manchester United have been dealt a blow as Kalvin Phillips wants to sign a new contract at Leeds United ahead of the summer transfer window. The former are searching the market for a midfielder, so this update would be a damning piece of information for them.
Phillips has had a meteoric rise over the past year, especially during the Euro 2020 campaign. He has earned lots of plaudits since then and has attracted lots of attention from other clubs as a result. West Ham United saw a £50million bid rejected in the January transfer window, but they are still interested in his services.
Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are some of the other clubs who are monitoring the Englishman. However, he seems set to stay with Leeds, with both parties keen on a contract extension. His current deal will expire in 2024, and it only earns him just over £25,000-a-week in wages. However, they are looking to improve his salary, considering his rapid rise to the top recently.
Expected blow
The 26-year-old has been a lifelong fan of the Whites, so a move to Old Trafford would have been a far-fetched possibility anyway. After all, we have a fierce rivalry with them, so it would not have been a surprise to see him snub us with all these other interested parties if he wanted to leave.
The Premier League midfielder’s current stance is expected, but it would be a blow nonetheless, considering how we seem to be set to lose out on a highly rated star. Talks over a contract extension have been due for a long time as they were halted because of their fight for survival in the top flight. Not to mention, he will change his agent this summer which gave them more reason to hold the discussion sometime in the future.
The Manchester board should not have wasted their time on the Leeds ace, considering how he never expressed any intentions to leave Elland Road. He rejected Burnley and a £26million move to Villa in the past, which shows his loyalty to his current club. We should have realised that and focused our attention elsewhere.
We must divert our attention elsewhere as there is not much time left for the summer transfer window to arrive. Midfield is an area that we desperately need to strengthen if we have ambitions to challenge for titles from next season onwards.
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Paul Pogba is out of contract this summer and is set to leave us as a result. Donny van de Beek’s future is surrounded by uncertainty, while Nemanja Matic could be moved out, having neared the end of his playing career. We are desperate for a pivot option considering we have no natural profile in our ranks.
Fred and Scott McTominay are box to box midfielders and lack the technical skills and game reading ability that is required to play in a holding role. Phillips would have been a great choice, but it is high time we focus on someone who we actually can sign ahead of this summer.
