Apparently West Ham are still interested in Leeds’ Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, which is a bit like me saying I’m still interested in that Lamborghini I saw on eBay the other week.
West Ham would like us to believe they bid £50million each for Phillips and Raphinha last month.
Leeds may disagree and while there was contact from West Ham, they were swiftly rebuffed and no offers were made.
Call me cynical, but you could be forgiven for thinking the Hammers are trying to spin a line to their unhappy supporters over their lack of signings in January.
David Moyes claims he was offered various players, but turned them down because he wasn’t happy with the deals.
Have Your Say! How much are Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha realistically worth? Tell us here.
It’s a clever rouse by Moyes and it’s impossible to deny something that never happened.
West Ham may well return for Phillips and Raphinha in the summer, but the England midfielder’s joke on Instagram suggests he has no intention of becoming a Hammer.
Phillips replied to a post from Raphinha following Brazil’s win over Paraguay with the message ‘50 million they said’ plus a laughing emoji, eyes and flames.
The midfielder, who is nearing recovery following his hamstring surgery, deleted his dig at West Ham, but it is clear he has not view them as his dream destination.
The same applies for Raphinha and he will only leave Leeds for a Champions League team.
Raphinha is ambitious and wants to get to the very top.
That’s why he quit Rennes in October 2020, despite them being in the Champions League, because he knows the Premier League is the best in the world.
Leeds are not naïve and they know there will probably come a time when Raphinha, in particular, will want to move on.
But that will be a time of their choosing and to a top Premier League or foreign club for a lot of money.
That’s why they are negotiating improved terms with Raphinha and they shrewdly want to insure his future transfer value.
Phillips may not have this itch to leave like Raphinha and he is happy playing for his beloved Leeds in the Premier League.
He turned Aston Villa and Burnley down in 2019 and there are only a handful of select clubs he would only consider leaving Leeds for if that time ever came.
West Ham are not one of them, and you can also rule Manchester United.
United would like Phillips if they can’t land their No.1 midfield target Declan Rice in the summer.
But unlike Alan Smith, who controversially moved across the Pennines to Old Trafford in 2004, Phillips could never bring himself to play for the Reds.
Pulling on that red shirt is inconceivable for a diehard Leeds fan like him.
Leeds are also in contract talks with him and there is a willingness on both sides to agree new terms to hand him a pay rise and secure his future at Leeds.
So sorry West Ham. You can delude yourself that you are in the bidding to sign Phillips and Raphinha, when the truth is you are not.
