Kalvin Phillips came close to joining Aston Villa in the summer of 2019.
The Lions, who had secured promotion to the top-flight, were willing to give him a pay rise as well as Premier League football.
The Whites’ promotion campaign had ended after suffering defeat against Derby County in the play-offs semi-final, with Villa then beating the Rams in the final.
Despite the attractive offer, the 25-year-old decided to stay at Elland Road and went on to help his side to Premier League promotion in the following season.
In a recent interview to i, the hugely talented midfielder revealed the reason he stayed at Leeds United was his grandmother Val, who died from Covid-19 in February.
He said: “She was definitely the reason why I would’ve never gone to Villa. She didn’t want me to. I always knew that whatever my mum and my gran wanted me to do I’d end up doing that.
“She’s a major figure in our family so I knew that what she was telling me to do was the right decision and it turned out to be the right decision, even now. Without some of those decisions she’s told me to take I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
Kalvin Phillips started his career at local club Wortley before switching to Leeds in 2010.
He progressed through the youth ranks to earn his professional debut in April 2015 against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
So far, he has clocked up 214 appearances across all competitions, scoring 14 goals and creating 12 assists in the process (stats from Transfermarkt).
The 25-year-old also played a key role for England on their way to the Euro 2020 final.
The talented midfielder started all seven matches for the Three Lions, earning an assist to his name.
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