Kalvin Phillips sent Man Utd transfer instruction as Aston Villa 'ready' £60m move

Former Aston Villa goalkeeper David James has called on Kalvin Phillips to snub a transfer to Manchester United and link up with Steven Gerrard instead.

The Times have reported that Villa are 'ready' and prepared to spend up to £60million on Phillips this summer, while a lucrative wage packet could also be used to tempt him away from Elland Road. Man United, Liverpool, West Ham and Newcastle United have all been mentioned as admirers of the England international too.

The 26-year-old was the subject of a late January transfer window bid from West Ham, but Leeds rebuffed that approach. Though, they could face a challenge to keep their star midfielder beyond this season, and The Times claim that Leeds are set to move to tie Phillips down to a new and improved long-term contract in the wake of recent transfer speculation.

But if Phillips does leave his boyhood club this summer, former Premier League and England international goalkeeper James thinks a move to Villa Park could be ideal for his career. James told GGRecon : "He’s one of my favourite players and that’s not solely due to his footballing talent, but he’s a wonderful human being too.

“The lure would naturally be Manchester United because of the size of the club but this is Kalvin Phillips who plays for Leeds United. But I also think playing under Steven Gerrard in that Aston Villa squad, and adding to that where Stevie wants to take them, I believe would be the right stepping stone for Kalvin Phillips.

"I don’t want to insinuate that Aston Villa are a stepping stone. But Gerrard will realistically want to manage a team that’s eventually competing for major honours, whether that’s Liverpool or another club."