Leeds offer huge new deal to £30m star in bid to ward off Villa

Leeds United have opened talks with prized midfielder Kalvin Phillips over a new contract that would make him among their highest earners.

Phillips, the 23-year-old midfielder, has been the subject of an approach from Villa this summer following Leeds’ failed bid to return to the Premier League last season.

However, Leeds have slapped a £30m price tag on their homegrown star given his importance to manager Marcelo Bielsa and in a bid to ward off the Premier League new boys.

Their efforts to prise him away from Elland Road were already looking doubtful after this claim from the man Leeds supporters affectionately brand ‘the Yorkshire Pirlo’.

And it seems Leeds are looking to underline his importance to Bielsa’s side by offering the player a huge new contract that would elevate his pay towards their top earners.

According to reports, Leeds are looking to hand Phillips a new four-year deal worth around £25,000 a week. That would put him on a par with recent signing Helder Costa and not too far away from the club’s top earner in goalkeeper Kiko Casillas, who is on an estimated £30,000 a week.

Leeds are said to be confident Phillips will sign the new deal, with the agreement a big show of faith to the player of his importance in their set-up. His current deal currently has two years left to run and the new arrangement will see him treble his salary.

The deal will be seen as another show of intent by Leeds, who will be going all out to win promotion this season having come within a whisker of doing so last time around.

Villa, for their part, are said to have turned their attentions to a Nantes midfielder after seeing efforts to land Phillips seemingly hit a brick wall.

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