Aston Villa are hoping to fund a move for Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips by agreeing a number of outgoings in the summer transfer window. There have been questions asked as to whether Steven Gerrard’s side would be able to afford the fee that the Whites would demand for the England midfielder if he expressed his desire to leave.
Following his impressive loan spell so far, Villa will be expected to sign Phillipe Coutinho permanently for around £33m which could leave them short in their pursuit of Phillips. Although, they could look to emulate the tactic Pep Guardiola used to claim that Manchester City’s £100m signing of Jack Grealish only actually cost £40m.
After the Birmingham-born boyhood Villa fan was announced as the most expensive English footballer of all time, his new manager said: "We spent £40m on Jack Grealish. We paid £100m and brought £60m in the last year.
