Leeds United urged to sign 'quality' Liverpool defender as Serie A pair eye £21m Crysencio Summerville move

Leeds United have just a few days to prepare for the Championship play-offs with Sunday’s semi-final first-leg trip to Norwich City on Sunday. Daniel Farke will return to Carrow Road for the second time this season in the hope of putting his side’s recent form in the past.

Saturday’s defeat at home to Southampton was a third in four games for Leeds, who have hit a serious bump in their promotion road since the March international break. But the play-offs can be seen as a fresh start and supporters will have no issues if the end goal is achieved at Wembley.

Leeds are in a state of limbo when it comes to summer business, with those in charge at Elland Road needing to plan without knowing which league they will be in. But work is still going on behind the scenes and the YEP has rounded up some of the latest stories.

Phillips move

Paul Robinson believes Leeds should make a move for Liverpool defender Nat Phillips this summer, but only as a squad player. Phillips, who spent the second-half of this season on loan at Cardiff City, has been linked with a move to Elland Road in recent weeks with Farke in need of defensive reinforcements ahead of next season.

“He’s a player who initially did well at Liverpool,” Robinson told MOT Leeds News of Phillips. “The loan North of the border [at Celtic] didn’t go too well while, at Cardiff, he has been getting some Championship experience. “He is a good centre-half. He’s a good quality player, a good ball player, matching the way the manager likes to play. 

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“I could see him being a good addition to the squad but he doesn’t start ahead of Rodon or Ampadu. I don’t think the manager wants to play Ampadu at centre-half permanently, whether he’s looking for a longer-term partner for Rodon, that’s an area they’re looking at with Liam Cooper’s future still up in the air.”

Summerville interest

Serie A pair Juventus and Napoli are reportedly interested in Crysencio Summerville but might struggle to get a deal over the line. Italian outlet Repubblica reports that their €25million (£21.5m) valuation would be ‘high’, despite it being some way short of what Leeds will likely demand.

Summerville could be at risk of leaving in the summer if Leeds fail to win promotion back to the Premier League via the play-offs, albeit the club are obviously keen to keep their top-scorer regardless. The Dutchman’s 28 league goal contributions (19 goals and 9 assists) earned him the Championship’s Player of the Season award but also caught the eye of Europe’s top sides.

Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal are among the Premier League teams linked with interest in Summerville but reports closer to home value the 22-year-old closer to £40m. That would seemingly price out Juventus, Napoli and most European teams with smaller budgets than those in the English top-flight.