Since Aston Villa's current owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris took over the Midlands club back in 2018, they have not been reluctant in spending money on bringing new players to Villa Park that can help the team fulfil their ambitions of taking the club into the upper echelons of football.

With this in mind, Villa journalist Gregg Evans has dropped a clue regarding one player that has been mentioned with a move to the Midlands club in the past that could push them closer to being an elite club competing for European football.

What's the news?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Evans had this to say about Villa's interest in Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

He said: "Yes they like him, there’s no denying that. Whether there’s even a one per cent chance of getting him is another matter."

Break their transfer record

As a product of Leeds' youth academy, Phillips has gone on to make a total of 226 appearances for the Yorkshire club, showing how important he is to the team and why they would presumably want to keep hold of him for as long as possible.

Having ended the previous Premier League season as one of Leeds' highest-rated players according to WhoScored with an overall performance rating of 7.01/10, it would place him fourth among Villa's highest-rated players.

Thus, it's easy to see why the Midlands club have an admiration for the England international and why Villa fans would surely be overjoyed to see him at their club.

As well as being an important figure for Leeds, Phillips has made himself a significant player on the international stage as well. For instance, he was one of the five outfield players that started all seven of England's Euro 2020 games last summer.

While the likelihood of Phillips eventually making the move to Villa Park is yet to be determined, the Villa fans should be excited by the fact that their club has an interest in Phillips and have a previous record of being very active in the transfer market, like they have been this month with the arrivals of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne.

Looking ahead to the future, with the £60m valued midfielder's current contract at Elland Road not set to expire until the summer of 2024, it could be a challenge for Villa to secure his signature anytime soon.

It may also be very expensive, potentially causing them to breach their transfer record fee of £33m that they paid for Emi Buendia last summer. Villa haven't been afraid to splash out of late with the likes of Digne, Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings costing north of £25m.

With previous claims suggesting that Gerrard would want to sign a defensive midfielder this month, if they don't manage to sign one this month, this could increase their need to make a move for Phillips next summer.

Considering his quality, they must do all they can to lure him to the Midlands, including smashing their transfer record.

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