Pundit admits Leeds star could be ‘very tempted’ by Aston Villa move

Dan Butterfield
Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips

Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips could be very tempted by a move to Aston Villa, according to former Sunderland man Kevin Phillips

Villa have been linked with a move for the Leeds star as Steven Gerrard looks to improve his midfield options.


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Leeds are currently in the middle of a huge relegation battle and before their last-gasp win over Norwich on Sunday, had lost their last six Premier League games.

If the Whites were to go down this season, a whole host of top division sides would likely come in for the England international.

However, even if they do beat the drop, there is expected to be interest from Villa to bring Phillips to Villa Park.

Villa have already backed Gerrard heavily since he took over from Dean Smith at the end of 2021, bringing in Phillippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona, Everton defender Lucas Digne, and centre-back Calum Chambers from Arsenal.

They were linked with a number of midfielders too, including Brighton’s Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, who instead joined Tottenham from Juventus.

However, Kevin Phillips is now tipping his namesake to join Gerrard at Villa.

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips, who played for Villa, said: “He’s very capable of playing for those big six clubs, there’s no doubt about it.

“He’s a superb player but he’s struggled with injury this season – which could be a concern for any interested club.

“I think when he’s fully fit, he could slot into any of those top sides, and Leeds United are going to have a real battle on their hands to keep him around.

“The only saving grace is that he loves the club, and you’d think that he would want to help them stay in the Premier League.

“I think they’ll be bids flying in for him. There’s no surprise that Villa with Steven Gerrard are in for him.

“It could be a very tempting move for him. He’d be playing under one of the Premier League’s best midfielders.”