Leeds will resist any offer from Aston Villa to sign Kalvin Phillips for £14million.
Villa are understood to be preparing a £14million bid for Phillips and feel they can land the midfielder following their promotion success and Leeds’ failure in the play-offs.
Leeds are determined to hang on to Phillips, who is seen as their most valuable player along with Jack Clarke, and would want at least £20million before even considering selling him.
Phillips, 23, has been a first-team regular for three seasons at Leeds and has already made 138 appearances.
He is versatile and can play in the holding midfield role or centre-half.
The youth product has two years left on the four-year deal he signed in 2017 and is understood to be happy at Elland Road.
Leeds have not received a bid from Villa and are bracing themselves for an approach.
Phillips is also hugely popular with the Elland Road faithful and owner and chairman Andrea Radrizzani knows they would be angry if he sold him.
Radrizzani pleased fans by investing in the club after years of neglect by previous owners and he bought back Elland Road in one of his first acts.
The fans were prepared to see young prospect Ronaldo Vieria be sold to Sampdoria last summer because the club had other players in his position and his transfer fee was reinvested in the squad.
But selling Phillips would undermine Radrizzani’s commitment to winning Leeds’ promotion in many fans’ eyes because he is such a key player.
Leeds fans are sick of seeing their best young players sold, dating back to James Milner’s departure in 2004 when they were relegated from the Premier League, because of the club’s financial problems.
They hope Phillips can be part of their future back in the Premier League and politically it would be extremely difficult for Radrizzani to sanction his sale.
