Speaking ahead of Aston Villa's Premier League clash against Leeds United on Friday night, Dean Smith has revealed that the club were interested in Kalvin Phillips in the 2019 summer transfer window.

What's the word?

The midfielder has enjoyed an impressive start with the top-flight's new boys this season, seeing his form rewarded with a call-up to Gareth Southgate's England squad.

Now, Smith has revealed that Villa were keen on a move for the man dubbed 'The Yorkshire Pirlo' back in the summer of 2019, but that they were priced out of a deal by Leeds.

He said (as quoted by The Birmingham Mail): "He was on a list of players that we were interested in. As far as I was aware it never got past initial talks stage with the price tag they wanted and rightly so if you look at their season last year and what they're going now."

Potential Douglas Luiz upgrade

The fact that Phillips has now established himself as a key part of the current England squad speaks volumes of how his star has risen over the previous year or so.

England boss Southgate was quick to praise the midfielder, saying: "I think he is a player that we have watched a lot in the last 12 months in particular with Leeds. The position he plays is a position where we need competition for places and the way that he plays the role and the way that he has been coached in the role is clear to see."

And former Villa boss Alex McLeish has also been impressed with the £19.8m-rated anchor man, declaring: "Phillips has been outstanding, every game you see him in, you know. When you see these guys getting the ball you’re excited and you see them doing something exciting, they don’t let you down. That’s the type of player Phillips is and these boys at Leeds have all learned the art of tracking back as well."

When you compare Phillips' stats to Douglas Luiz, then there's a real argument that the former would be starting ahead of the Brazilian for Smith. This season, the Leeds man has averaged almost seven times as many tackles (3.4 to 0.5), and more than six times the amount of key passes (two to 0.3).

Phillips can put his foot in and kick-start the play too, and if they could have put the money on the table for him, then they could have got a midfield machine.