Alan Hutton reckons that only a 'massive' bid could prize Kalvin Phillips away from Leeds United, as reported by Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Leeds United prepare for 2021/22

As Marco Bielsa’s men gear up for 2021/22, fans up and down the country will be intrigued to see how the Argentinian goes about improving on their impressive display last season.

Acquiring a few new faces would certainly not go amiss, but keeping hold of their prize assets will also be of particular importance to Bielsa, given most of this squad is the same as the one he arrived to in the Championship.

Hutton has echoed this sentiment regarding Phillips in particular in his latest interview with Football Insider.

The Latest: Only a 'massive' fee would lure Phillips away

Speaking about Phillips' qualities amid potential interest in him this summer, the former Tottenham Hotspur man stated:

"There’ll be loads of teams watching him.

“There’s obviously people looking at him thinking: ‘Right, we’ve got a young midfielder, broken into the England team, absolutely outstanding.’

“But the figure? Try put a figure on his head. I couldn’t. The fee could be massive. I just think he’s an absolutely fantastic player.

“You could see when you watch Leeds, he had a couple niggly injuries throughout the season. When he wasn’t playing, they weren’t the same team.” [Football Insider].

The Verdict: Keep at all costs

In 2020/21, the 25-year-old enjoyed an outstanding campaign for the Whites, making 31 appearances whilst he registered four goal contributions; one goal and three assists [Transfermarkt].

Phillips’ desire to make things happen from deep has been a driving force for Bielsa’s men the last year. Averaging around 4.8 long balls per 90 minutes, he has the highest rate of long pass attempts in the entire Leeds United squad [WhoScored].

His impact was really shown when he was out of the side however - in the nine league games Phillips missed, Leeds won just twice.

The Whites support will be desperate to keep the local lad in Yorkshire for many years to come, as will his manager as they move forward into 2021/22.

In other news, Leeds United have been offered the chance to sign an Ivory Coast international.