Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool are reportedly poised to enter a transfer battle to sign Kalvin Phillips in the summer.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, Leeds United stayed firm in their resolve to keep Kalvin Phillips at the club in the January transfer window. But the Whites will have a battle on their hands to keep hold of the 26-year-old English international, who is a target for Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Kalvin Phillips has established himself as one of the best midfielders in England since breaking into the first-team setup at Leeds United in April 2015. In the last six and a half years, the Englishman has gone from strength to strength at club level while also becoming a mainstay in midfield for his national side.
But the 2021/22 season has been difficult for the 26-year-old, who has been beset by injury problems, forcing him to miss nearly half of the games played by Leeds this term. Despite his fitness woes, the English international has no shortage of suitors, with Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Manchester United keen on signing him in the summer transfer window.
The interest from Real Madrid stems from the lack of a viable cover for Casemiro, with the Brazilian international set to turn 30 this year. And Phillips’s ability to play as a box-to-box midfielder means he can also coexist with Casemiro in the current Real Madrid midfield setup.
As for Liverpool, the eagerness from the Reds is a bit surprising, considering Fabinho is at the peak of his powers. But with Jordan Henderson and James Milner on the wrong side of 30, Phillips could perhaps succeed either of his compatriots in the Liverpool squad.
Finally, Manchester United’s interest stems from the absence of a reliable holding midfielder in the first-team setup at Old Trafford. With Nemanja Matic in the final phase of his career and Scott McTominay better utilised as a box-to-box midfielder, signing someone like Phillips will be a step in the right direction for Manchester United.
Apart from Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also hot on Phillips’s trail. Leeds United will thus have an uphill task to retain the 26-year-old English international ahead of a major transfer war in the summer.
