‘I would imagine…’ – West Ham tipped to go back in for £55m star amid potential Irons exit

Former England striker Kevin Phillips has tipped West Ham to reignite their pursuit of Kalvin Phillips in the summer transfer window, hailing the east London club’s ambition to try and sign the 26-year-old.

West Ham reportedly made a lucrative bid in hope of securing the services of the Leeds midfielder on deadline day but had the offer rejected.

MailOnline reported that the Hammers had a £55m bid turned down by the Yorkshire club, with David Moyes keen to partner the 19-cap maestro with England team-mate Declan Rice in order to create a dominant midfield pairing.

Kevin Phillips has insisted that West Ham will be among the Leeds player’s suitors in the summer, but he added that the Irons’ pursuit of the 26-year-old could also offer a hint over Rice’s future.

The former Sunderland striker told Football Insider: “You can look at both ways, can’t you?

“Imagine Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice, they’re two quality midfielders. They’re fairly similar to each other. You can imagine those two sitting in the middle of the park, dominating midfield.

“Then again, it might be a replacement. We don’t know whether Declan Rice, in the background, has said: ‘I’ll stay this January but in the summer I want a move’. He might want to go play for one of those top two, three, four sides in the Premier League.

“I think it just shows you the ambition of West Ham, being interested in Kalvin Phillips. He’s a class player, I would imagine there will be one or two more bids, come the summer, for him from West Ham.”

With both players having such a similar profile, it could be a worrying sign that West Ham are interested in signing Phillips, given that they have Rice in the same position.

With vast interest in Rice coming from Manchester United, the