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This article is part of Football FanCast's Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news...

According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are plotting a move for Kalvin Phillips which involves swapping three players for the 23-year-old.

What's the word?

Aston Villa have been one of the busiest sides in the Premier League when it's come to transfer activity this summer, signing seven new faces.

A deal for Douglas Luiz appears close, whilst they're targeting Bjorn Engels too.

However, their interest in Leeds' Phillips is failing to go away. The Telegraph initially reported that they were planning a £14m move before it was suggested that a bid made by the club was actually worth £11m.

Recent developments suggest they're lining up another move for him which this time could see three players go in the opposite direction.

TEAMtalk claims those three players could be Conor Hourihane, Henri Lansbury and James Bree.

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Villa can strike gold

If this deal goes through then Dean Smith, alongside Suso and Christian Purslow, could strike gold.

The fact of the matter is that £30m for Phillips is a hefty fee to pay for a player who has never played in the Premier League, and therefore this would be an incredibly cunning tactic.

If Villa do indeed swap those three players for the versatile Leeds ace it would be a big surprise considering Hourihane has recently signed a new deal.

However, of Smith's main midfielders last term, he is arguably the most expendable to the club and wouldn't be a huge loss, especially if he was replaced by Phillips who shone last term, playing as many as 44 league matches.

Meanwhile, losing Lansbury, who has started just seven times in two years would merely be a burden off the club's shoulders who have been carrying him since he signed from Nottingham Forest.

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Bree, who spent a period on loan with Ipswich last season, would be even less of a loss judging by the lack of matches he's played for the senior team.

Villa missed a tough-tackling midfielder last term, with John McGinn making 2.1 successful challenges per game. Phillips, on the other hand made 2.6.

Bringing in a player with his qualities, therefore, is extremely important and if it means having to lose three players rather than parting ways with £30m, it could be a stroke of genius from the Villa hierarchy.