MARCELO BIELSA has revealed Manchester United target Kalvin Phillips will only leave the club if his links to the club and fans remain intact.
The Red Devils have been linked with a move for the 25-year-old as an alternative to his England international team-mate Declan Rice.
It has been claimed that the Whites have slapped a £60million price tag on the midfielder.
But the Yorkshire outfit remain keen to keep hold of their academy graduate and are said to have opened contract talks with the player.
And Leeds boss Bielsa has now commented on Phillips’ future as he accepted that an exit away from Elland Road could happen.
However the Argentine gaffer, 66, has played down the chances of him departing to fierce rivals United.
Speaking of Phillips, he said: “I’m sure the day he leaves Leeds and the way that he does it, far from provoking disappointment – of course it will generate disappointment – but it’s going to solidify his link to the club, the people and the city.
“I’m sure he would only leave if it’s guaranteed that the link to the place where he was born remains intact. He will know how to do it.”
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Asked whether he is confident he would remain at Leeds, he added: “That’s a question Kalvin needs to answer.
“Of course for us he’s a very valuable player. We have to adapt ourselves to how he feels belonging to Leeds.
“I have seen in him a conduct that I have very rarely seen in a player in how football is right now.
“For a player to climb to the level he is at, due to the love of the club he’s at, is not frequent.
“I have a certainty that Kalvin is going to enjoy for the rest of his life, the decisions he’s going to make.
“He will be loved definitively for always in the place where he was born and where he belongs.
“When you go for the money or for the evolution, you resolve a moment in your sporting career.
“But when you opt for the affection of your people, you resolve your life forever because when you’re loved when you’re from, the possibilities to be happy increase.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
