Newcastle United are eyeing a move for Leeds United star midfielder Kalvin Phillips this summer according to a report in The Mail.
What's the story?
The report says that the Magpies are willing to offer Phillips a substantial wage of £125k-p/w which is a colossal £87k more than he is currently on at Elland Road.
It emerges as journalist Mark Douglas reported that the English midfielder is on the shortlist for Newcastle this summer as they look to strengthen their squad greatly in order to compete at the top.
He has become a key player for Leeds and has also shone for his country with Ian Wright labelling him "phenomenal". Previous reports state that he could cost a jaw-dropping £60m.
He can link up with Bruno
If a move for the 26-year-old proved successful, he could link up with January recruit and fellow midfielder Bruno Guimaraes in the North East.
The Brazilian midfielder arrived from Lyon earlier this year for £37.9m, with the Toon fending off interest from Arsenal to complete the first huge signing under their new ownership.
Phillips has hardly featured for Leeds this season having sustained a hamstring injury at the beginning of December which has seen him miss 19 games for the Whites.
He's been a big miss which is further proven by their struggles this season, they are currently in a relegation battle and sit nine points clear of the drop zone.
Whether they maintain their Premier League status or not may be a determining factor as to whether Phillips decides to stay.
It'd be harsh to say that he'd be motivated to move to the Toon because of the huge wage increase on offer, but many would argue that his form has proved he deserves the pay rise.
Despite being out through injury he still ranks highly in Europe's top five leagues when it comes to defensive statistics, ranking in the top 1% for successful pressures.
If he were to partner up with Bruno they would complement each other very well. Whilst Phillips has great defensive skills, Bruno can be a threat going forward.
He ranks in the top 4% across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive passes and passes into the penalty area compared to those in his position.
Ultimately Phillips would be a great fit for Newcastle, and with the ambitions they have to compete for silverware, it would be hard to turn the opportunity down.