Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United suffer transfer setback as Aston Villa push ahead for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips
According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required), Aston Villa are pushing to sign Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips at the end of the season, providing a transfer blow to Manchester United, who are also keen on the player (h/t Express).
Phillips has played his senior career at Elland Road, becoming a fan favourite after impressing with his performances for the club. He was also a key part of the squad that helped the team win promotion to the Premier League in 2020.
His displays for his boyhood club have also seen him turn out to be a key cog in midfield for the England national team, and he was vital in the Three Lions reaching the finals of the UEFA Euros 2020 held last year.
Evidently, he is one of the best in the business in England. With the Yorkshire club keen on retaining Phillips for a few more years, there have been talks regarding a new contract, but these discussions have not been fruitful.
Club record fee from Villa
Given this, United are interested in bringing the 26-year-old to Old Trafford in the summer. Despite being arch-rivals, Leeds and the Red Devils have conducted transfer business before, with Daniel James recently swapping Manchester for Yorkshire earlier in the season.
However, they are likely to face good competition from Villa, who are prepared to shell out a club record £60m to sign the England international – someone they tried to sign three years ago when the Villa Park outfit won promotion back to the Premier League in 2019.
Manager Steven Gerrard wants a player who will ‘screen’ in front of his back-four and move his team up the pitch, and Phillips possesses all the qualities required. The Villans have suffered this season from a lack of a holding midfielder, and they believe the Leeds man is the perfect person to sort out their issues.
Interestingly, United are suffering from the same headache as Villa, with their midfield being a weak link for them – not just this season, but for the past few years. Michael Carrick’s retirement in 2018 saw a vacancy open up for the role, and thus far, no one has been able to take his place.
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Fred, Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba, or Nemanja Matic have been unable to make a consistent impact in midfield thus far, and none of these players has been reliable enough to count on a good performance on a consistent basis either. Our other midfield option Donny van de Beek has been sent out on loan to Everton to gain more minutes, so it is unclear if he will continue with us beyond the summer when he returns to his parent club.
Phillips is already a ready-made star with loads of Premier League and recent international experience under his belt to take on the responsibilities as a holding midfielder at Old Trafford. However, any move for the Leeds star will require a serious transfer battle with Villa, who are prepared to splash the cash to finally get their hands on the player.
