West Ham have had a club-record bid rejected for Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips, according to The Telegraph.
The Lowdown: Preparing for Rice’s departure?
West Ham have received vast interest surrounding the possibility of a transfer for Declan Rice. According to SofaScore, Rice has been the Hammers’ best player of the current league campaign by some distance, averaging a phenomenal 7.25 match rating, illustrating his importance to David Moyes’ side.
This season the 22-year-old became the youngest player to reach 150 top flight appearances for West Ham. Currently, he is on track to beat the record of club-legend Mark Noble, who has made 407 Premier League appearances for the club to date.
However, with his impressive form for club and country, having already secured 27 caps for England, Rice has received numerous interest from teams across Europe, the most prominent of which has been from the Premier League.
West Ham have valued the defensive-midfielder at £100 million and it is said that Manchester United are keen on signing the player in the summer, with further interest coming from Chelsea and Manchester City.
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The Latest: Leeds reject Irons’ club-record bid
Phil Hay of The Athletic stated previously that Leeds are ‘not open to offers’ and Phillips ‘won’t be leaving before the deadline’, and the latest news seems to have confirmed his claims.
According to a report by The Telegraph, the Hammers have had a club record £50million bid for Phillips officially rejected by Leeds.
The Verdict: Highly unlikely this month
As Phillips is arguably one of Leeds’ most important players, having been described as a ‘rock’ in the midfield by Italian legend Andrea Pirlo, it seems highly unlikely that West Ham will sign the 26-year-old before the 11pm deadline – the Whites cannot afford to lose him in the midst of a relegation fight.
However, this activity could indicate that Rice may be off in the summer for an extortionate fee, as recruitment chief Rob Newman is willing to break the club-record bid for a very similar player.
As much as Irons fans would love to keep Rice forever, it feels extremely unlikely Newman would be going in for Phillips if the Hammers hero is planning to stay long-term.
Therefore, it could be possible that the Irons reprise their interest in Phillips in the summer window, when the West Ham man’s future at the club becomes clearer.
In other news: Irons interested in Christian Benteke