GSB blunder gets even worse as Newcastle now hijack West Ham move for 'phenomenal' star – report

West Ham United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips after Newcastle swooped in to hijack the move.

Irons fans endured a disastrous January transfer window after failing to sign a single player in the mid-season market.

The Hammers boss claimed that this was not down to a lack of trying; the Daily Mail previously reported that West Ham had made a club-record £55m bid for the 26-year-old on deadline day.

Whilst it was reported that negotiations had started three weeks prior, the east London club made their move too late in the month and ultimately failed in their pursuit.

According to a fresh report by the Daily Mail, Leeds’ hopes of keeping Phillips are under threat, as Newcastle are prepared to hijack any move to east London by bumping the Yorkshireman’s salary from £25,000 per week to a staggering £120,000-a-week.

This follows Sportsmail’s claim that the Leeds player has told his club that he is willing to extend his stay with the Whites beyond his contract expiry date of 2024, despite growing interest from Newcastle, Aston Villa and West Ham.

Therefore, it appears that the Hammers may have slipped down Phillips’ pecking order, given the seemingly preferable choices of remaining at Elland Road or moving to the financially-welcoming Magpies.

This news represents a serious blunder from GSB and West Ham, who now seem set to miss out on the holding midfielder due to their lack of urgency in January.

Rising to prominence during Euro 2020 as he partnered Irons star Declan Rice in the middle of the park for England, Phillips received huge plaudits for a number of his performances during the tournament, with Arsenal legend Ian Wright hailing him as “phenomenal”.

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