Krishnan Sreekumar
Transfer News: Midfielder Kalvin Phillips hopeful of new deal with Leeds United despite Manchester United interest
According to The Sun, Manchester United have suffered a transfer blow in their attempts to sign Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who is hopeful of signing a new deal with his boyhood club and remaining at Elland Road for the next few years.
The Englishman is a key cog in Leeds’ midfield, churning out match-winning performances consistently over the years as he led them from the Championship to the Premier League. His displays have also seen him become an England international, playing a major role in their 2020 Euros campaign.
His quality and presence in the middle of the pitch made him a transfer target for bitter rivals United in the upcoming transfer window, given how poor the Manchester side has been in recent seasons, with their midfield being a weak area that big teams have often exploited.
Despite having options in Fred, Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba, and Nemanja Matic, none of these stars have proven to be reliable or consistent enough on the pitch for the Red Devils. Reinforcements are needed in the summer, but they may need to turn their attention away from Phillips.
Commit to his boyhood side
After returning to the first team in what has been an injury-hit campaign this time around for the 26-year-old, the player is said to feel positive about his club’s future after they appointed Jesse Marsch to replace Marcelo Bielsa, who was sacked earlier in the year.
‘The Yorkshire Pirlo’, as he has been dubbed, is feeling confident that Leeds will improve and avoid relegation after Marsch took over, with the club currently on a run of decent results. He has been enjoying training sessions since returning from injury recently and is determined to commit to his boyhood side before the end of the season to end speculation about his future.
Leeds were struggling this season under Bielsa, unable to pick up points in the Premier League and were conceding too many goals to put up a fight against teams. Even against United this term, who have not been great in attack, the Peacocks have lost 5-1 and 4-2 in their two games against their bitter rivals.
Phillips’ injury may have been a big reason as to why they performed poorly, but his return to action combined with the fresh tactics brought by Marsch seems to have revitalised Leeds, who are slowly picking up form again.
The Elland Road outfit is expected to hand their academy graduate a huge pay rise to put off any potential suitors, given that he has just two years left on his contract. The Englishman is set to earn a bumper rise from his current wages of around £38,000-per-week.
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If this is the case, then the Red Devils will need to look at other options to bolster their midfield. Pogba, perhaps, is the only central midfielder we have right now who can be labelled as a world-class talent. And even the ex-Juventus star has blown hot and cold over the years.
Not to mention, the Frenchman is set to depart this summer after failing to renew his contract at Old Trafford so far. Leeds may be one of our biggest rivals in football, but Daniel James’ recent transfer shows that the two clubs are not against doing business with each other.
