Manchester United want Kalvin Phillips

Manchester United are already making plans for the summer as they scout Kalvin Phillips.

Phillips currently plays for Leeds United in the Championship, who are currently in third place and just two points off the top spot. Any move would be made harder if Leeds are promoted to the Premier League because they will attempt to keep hold of their best players.

Leeds are not keen to sell the 23-year-old and have already rejected a £27 million bid from Spurs for the player, and Marcelo Bielsa made a condition of his stay at Elland Road that he would be able to keep hold of the player.

However, United want to be prepared to sign the player, and have sent both Mike Phelan and Kieran McKenna to scope him out so they can be sure of his abilities if he becomes available for transfer in the summer.

United should have the march on any rivals apart from Spurs, because they generally offer the highest wages in the world to players, which is why they have such a large wage bill. The problem with the recruitment strategy so far is that they have very little to show for all that expenditure.

The Sun reports that Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Wolves and Burnley are the other clubs who have previously shown an interest, which means that United will not face too much competition for his signature if they decide to make a move for him.

Away from Phillips, United have been linked with Kalidou Koulibaly, Declan Rice, Jadon Sancho and others for next summer, while Mario Mandzukic appears to be the number one target for the January transfer. United have also featured in reports suggesting they could also move this winter for Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz.