According to Mark Douglas at i news, Newcastle are ‘ready to make a move’ for Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips this summer.
Reports earlier this week claimed we were prepared to offer the England international a hefty pay-rise to swap Elland Road for St James’ Park at the end of the season, with The Athletic also naming the midfielder as a player of interest.
Now, Douglas – the former editor at The Chronicle – has confirmed that we are keen to bring the 26-year-old to Tyneside in his latest northern notebook piece for the i.
Leeds won’t let him go without a fight, however, with them set to offer Phillips a new improved contract in a bid to tie down their homegrown star beyond 2024.
Manchester United and Aston Villa are also named in the piece as the two Premier League clubs set to rival our interest, with West Ham another one to watch after they had a January bid rejected.
As for the potential fee should he pursue a summer move away, the report states that he’s valued at the £60m mark by Leeds; who have been urged to offer him an improved salary that reflects his status as an England regular proving himself at Premier League level.
Personally, I struggle to see him leaving his boyhood club and think he only might if a huge offer came his way.
Right now, is Newcastle United enough of a pull? I’m not so sure, but he’s a brilliant player and great character who’d be a sensational signing if we managed to pull it off!
