Aston Villa are set to rejoin Leeds United for Kalvin Phillips next summer. The Daily Telegraph writes that the 26-year-old defensive midfielder is at the top of manager Steven Gerrard’s wish list. The current number ten in the Premier League would be willing to shatter his transfer record with a transfer fee of 71 million euros.
The arrival of a new defensive midfielder is currently a priority at Aston Villa. Gerrard would like to add a player to his roster who can play close to the four defenders in his squad and Phillips has all the qualities the manager of the Villans searches. Aston Villa has been in the market for Phillips in the past, after promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2019 and Leeds United lagging behind in the Championship.
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Voetbalzone wrote a profile of Kalvin Phillips last summer.
However, Phillips opted for a longer stay at Leeds United, extending his contract until mid-2024 and being promoted to the Premier League a year later with the club where he went through the youth academy. However, Aston Villa has failed to add such a player to the roster since 2019 and now has a lot of money left to fill this vacancy with Phillips. That is necessary, because Leeds United want to keep the nineteen-time English international at all costs. The Whites have already tried to break Phillips’ contract but talks have been stalled.
To keep Phillips, Leeds United will at least have to maintain their position in the Premier League. The lead of the current number sixteen on the danger zone is currently eight points. Aston Villa also plans to re-sign at Brighton & Hove Albion for Yves Bissouma, who is to replace Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian midfielder threatens to end up in his last contract year next season. The same goes for Bissouma at Brighton: his contract runs until mid-2023, but the Seagulls rejected a €30 million offer from Aston Villa in January.
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