The ever-reliable Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay has quashed all hopes Leeds fans were having to sign James Milner from Liverpool.
The 61-cap England international has enjoyed a fantastic 2018-19 campaign with Liverpool, and he can end the season with a Champions League winner medal should the Reds beat Tottenham in the final at Madrid.
The versatile midfielder is out of contract in the summer and many Leeds fans were hoping that he would return to the club where it all started for him.
Phil Hay replied to one fan who asked whether it was just a dream or if there was a chance it could happen.
He wrote on his personal Twitter page on Wednesday night, “No, not happening”.
no, not happening.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) May 29, 2019
While Leeds fans want Milner back at Elland Road, it was always going to be difficult to lure him.
Had Leeds won promotion to the Premier League, there could have been a chance. Milner still has a lot of football left in him, and certainly, an elite player like him won’t drop down to the Championship.
Furthermore, Milner will have to take a massive pay-cut from his £140k-per-week wages. Thus playing in the Championship was not an option for the former Manchester City midfielder.
Hay has quashed the rumour once and for all, and hopefully it will not resurface again this summer. Leeds will probably follow Aston Villa’s last season transfer policy of signing young Premier League players on loan – like Tammy Abraham and Tyrone Mings – rather than devoting time on players like Milner.
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