Leeds United reportedly turned down the bid that would have seen the Burnley forward move to Elland Road.
According to a report from The Sun on Sunday (4/8; page 67), Leeds have turned down an offer from Burnley for Kalvin Phillips that would have seen the Clarets pay cash for the midfielder while also sending Matej Vydra to Elland Road.
Phillips’ Elland Road future has been a talking point for much of the summer. While many of the Leeds fans would love to see the club make another batch of signings, they will also be relieved to see the deadline come and go if the midfielder remains in Marcelo Bielsa’s ranks.
But it appears that the Premier League sides monitoring the 23-year-old are stepping up their interest. The Sun on Sunday (4/8; page 67) reports that Sean Dyche’s side are facing being priced out of a move for Phillips having already seen a swap bid involving Vydra rejected by the Whites.
The report notes that Burnley could still return with a fresh offer if they manage to sell Vydra to another club before the deadline.
Leeds making the right call
Vydra is a player that Leeds fans are well aware of. As reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post, the forward was one player that the Whites came seriously close to signing last summer before his move to Turf Moor – which cost Burnley £11 million, according to Lancs Live.
He headed to the top flight off the back of an outstanding year in the Championship, and that may have tempted the Leeds hierarchy to consider Burnley’s Phillips bid seriously. But, without knowing how much cash was also on the table, it appears that they made the right decision.
Vydra has done little of note since moving to the Premier League. And while some Leeds fans would probably be pleased to see him signed at this stage of the window, the large majority would surely have no interest in a deal if it meant watching Phillips head in the other direction.
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