Source: Villa now among frontrunners to sign 'phenomenal' workhorse for Gerrard; NSWE ready

Aston Villa are among the favourites to sign Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, according to a report from Football Insider. 

As the Yorkshire club face the threat of relegation from the Premier League, Phillips remains hot property following a breakthrough 18 months at the elite level.

Having helped guide Leeds into the top flight, the 26-year-old was outstanding whilst earning a 7.21 Sofascore rating during the 2020/21 campaign, winning 5.3 duels, making 2.6 tackles and completing 41 accurate passes on average per match.

Despite struggling with an injury-hit campaign this time around, Phillips has still been heavily linked with a move away this summer, with West Ham United seeing a bid rejected in the January transfer window.

As per a recruitment source at Football Insider, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are believed to be ‘leading the race’ to sign Phillips.

It is claimed that both clubs have made the 19-cap England international a ‘top target’ for the upcoming transfer window and have already begun the required ‘groundwork’ to make a deal happen.

The report added that Manchester United are ‘also keen’ to sign the 26-year-old, who was hailed as ‘phenomenal’ by former Three Lions manager Fabio Capello during a standout Euro 2020.

So far this season, Phillips – currently a one-club man –  has made 22 appearances across all competitions for Leeds, scoring once and providing one assist.

Predominantly a defensive-minded midfielder, the combative Englishman boasts an array of impressive attributes including tackling, blocking and interceptions (WhoScored), which makes him the ideal man to bolster Steven Gerrard’s squad should ownership group NSWE sanction a big-money move.

Indeed, his average of 2.7 tackles per game