Aston Villa remain long-term admirers of Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, according to Ashley Preece.

The Lowdown: Leeds flirting with relegation

Leeds have recently sacked Marcelo Bielsa after three-and-a-half years in charge at Elland Road and have brought in Jesse Marsch as his replacement.

The Whites are currently just two points off the relegation zone, and should they drop down to the Championship, you’d expect that some of their star players, including Phillips, would leave in the summer.

Villa tried to sign the England international back in 2019, but as we know, he remained in Yorkshire. Phillips did reveal last year that he was ‘swaying towards’ a move to the Midlands at the time, though, and it seems as if Villa chiefs are still keen on the 26-year-old.

The Latest: Preece’s comments on Phillips

Preece relayed comments from a Birmingham Live Q&A on Tuesday morning.

One fan hoped to see Phillips make the move to the Midlands in the summer, should Villa’s budget be in the region of £100m after keeping Philippe Coutinho. This is what Preece had to say in reply:

“Kalvin Phillips is an interesting one now off the back of Bielsa's sacking. As we know, Villa have long been admirers of the England midfielder. I'm expecting a summer of big change, Gerrard's already hinted at that.”

The Verdict: One to watch…

Phillips, who shared his admiration for Steven Gerrard last summer, has been out of action since December and has had to watch his Leeds team-mates struggle, so you could argue that a possible move to Villa Park may well be one to keep an eye upon.

It seems as if Leeds are in real danger of relegation, but you'd expect that Villa would still need to cough up a big fee for his services.

Liverpool, Manchester United and West Ham have all been linked with the player in recent months, with the latter preparing a £50m bid last month. A fee in that region could still be required even if Leeds drop down a division, so he could end up costing Villa a club-record fee if they do go for him.

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