Liverpool are leading Manchester United in the race for Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips, according to the Daily Star‘s Chief Sports Writer Jeremy Cross.
The England international has been heavily linked with a controversial switch to Old Trafford in recent months but the player is concerned by the backlash that could result from making such a move:
EXCLUSIVE: #LUFC star Kalvin Phillips to snub £60m #MUFC transfer over family fears in boost for #LFC boss Jurgen Klopp https://t.co/AZiaPJyuA9
✍️ @CrossyDailyStar pic.twitter.com/I4w9vg9S0Y
— Daily Star Sport (@DailyStar_Sport) November 26, 2021
Leeds and Manchester United are archrivals and, with Phillips’s family all living in or near the Yorkshire city, it is thought that a transfer across enemy lines would make things difficult.
Liverpool are not exactly short of midfielders but both Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will have just one year remaining on their contracts next summer. If one or both were to leave Anfield then it may open up space for Phillips to be brought in.
Even so, Phillips’s asking price could also prove problematic. It is believed that Leeds may demand as much as £60m for the 25-year-old.