A number of Leeds United supporters have been reacting on social media after Whites Managing Director Angus Kinnear told BBC Radio Leeds that the West Yorkshire outfit are ‘very close’ to tying Kalvin Phillips down to a new contract.
Talks between the Championship promotion hopefuls and the Leeds-born talent are understood to have recommenced shortly after the closing of the summer transfer window (Football Insider), which saw Phillips heavily linked with a move to Premier League new boys Aston Villa, although the Birmingham-based outfit refused to stretch higher than their rejected £15million valuation (The Sun).
Leeds are said to have valued Phillips at a much larger asking price of £30million, and were able to retain the services of the holding midfielder as a result, who is reportedly keen to see his standing at Elland Road repaid with a £40,000-a-week contract that would move the 23-year-old in line with the club’s highest earners Patrick Bamford and Kiko Casilla.
Phillips currently earns around £10,000-a-week at his boyhood side, where owner Andrea Radrizzani recently gave the green light to Leeds handing him a huge pay-rise after he played the second-most minutes for the Elland Road outfit last term (WhoScored).
Kinnear has now gone on record while speaking with BBC Radio Leeds to confirm that a contract announcement is not far off.
“He deserves a new contract. He is at the very heart of what we want to achieve,” the Whites executive said. “He is a local lad and he knows what it means to play for Leeds United.”
“We’ve had very constructive chats with him and his agent and I think we are very close.
“The credit to him is that he hasn’t let the discussions influence or distract him in any way. He couldn’t have been more committed or focussed and has started the season fantastically.”
Here’s how these Leeds fans reacted to his comments…
Leeds United MD Angus Kinnear, speaking to @apopey on BBC Radio Leeds, said he thinks they can conclude negotiations and get Kalvin Phillips' signature on a new contract soon. They're 'very close.'https://t.co/vCr3lvEUAL#lufc
— Graham Smyth (@GrahamSmyth) September 4, 2019
Need to add 100 million release clause!
— suraj kaushal (@onesuj) September 4, 2019
Which will be fine if we go up and absolutely meaningless if we don’t…
— LUFC LS25 (@EastLeedsLad) September 4, 2019
Whats gone on longer, Brexit or Kalvins contract negotiations?
— Alan Wiggy (@AlanWiggypie) September 4, 2019
Don’t think his agent will see it like that!!! #MOT
— magnumfarce66i (@david_cutshed) September 5, 2019
yorkshire pirlo
— daniel (@Dtnnyy) September 4, 2019
Hes been “Close” for a few weeks now
— Jonathon Sloan (@JSloan1995) September 4, 2019
Must be some deal!been on with it forever
— Russ (@russcausier) September 5, 2019
I guess we can let ‘he knows what it means to play for Leeds United’ go? #HKWIMTPFLU @TheSquareBall
— Andrew Thornton (@DrT1974) September 4, 2019
