Aston Villa are thought to be trying to buy Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
Villa are very keen on Phillips, but Leeds have stood firm in their desire to keep him so far.
However, there is a realisation around Leeds that if Villa offer around £30 million then the bid may be too good to turn down.
As a result Leeds seem to be drawing up a contingency plan, with Sunjic at the top of their wishlist.
The Dinamo Zagreb midfielder has shown plenty of promise over the past season, but if he was to come in for Phillips it would have to be considered worrying.
Phillips is arguably Leeds’ very best player, and he is certainly their most important.
Since Marcelo Bielsa has taken charge Phillips has become the leading defensive midfielder in the Championship, and he plays a role which is so vital to the Whites.
Phillips is tasked with collecting the ball off Leeds’ defence when Bielsa’s side have the ball and shielding the back four when they don’t.
His skill set is almost unique in the second tier, and to find a replacement of equal quality will be very difficult.
Therefore, Leeds’ apparent willingness to do so on the cheap doesn’t look encouraging.
Sunjic would cost just over £3.5 million according to the Daily Mail, but it is not his price-tag that is the biggest concern.
Sunjic has never played English football before, and it would be a major gamble to expect the 22-year-old to be ready to step in at Leeds and immediately replace Phillips.
The plan just doesn’t seem like one which will fill the Elland Road crowd with confidence, and keeping Phillips may just have become even more valuable, as their back-up choice to replace him looks like a huge risk.
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