Aston Villa dealt transfer blow as Manchester United swoop for big target

Aston Villa have been dealt a blow in their pursuit for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips with Manchester United reportedly now working on a deal for the England international.

According to Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst, United have ‘prioritised’ a deal for a defensive midfielder in the summer transfer window and are now ‘working on a deal’ to land the Leeds man.

Villa themselves have been on the hunt for a man fitting the profile of Phillips since the arrival of Steven Gerrard at the club.

They had bids rebuffed from Brighton for Yves Bissouma in January and whilst the club are expected to go back in for the Mali international this summer, other options are being assessed and Phillips is no doubt one of them.

If Leeds were to be relegated from the Premier League it would be near certain that the England midfielder would move on but with the Whites now looking as though they will retain their status, a move for the 26-year-old will prove far more difficult.

From his own personal perspective, as a Leeds lad himself, it’s going to take a lot to prize Phillips away from Elland Road and with two years left on his contract, he will command quite the fee before the club themselves even begin to listen to offers.

With that said, money will be the least of the worries of both Manchester United and Aston Villa though the two will want to avoid a potential bidding war if it comes to that.

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