Leeds United’s hopes of keeping Kalvin Phillips at the club are under threat as Newcastle are prepared to offer the England international a substantial pay rise to move to St James' Park.
Phillips - who has been a standout player for Leeds over the last couple of seasons - has two years left on contract at Elland Road and is said to be earning £25,000-a-week.
Sportsmail revealed on Monday that Phillips had told the club that he was willing to extend his stay with the Whites, despite growing interest from Aston Villa, West Ham and Newcastle United others.
As a result, Newcastle have decided to offer Phillips a pay-rise in the hope that he may change his mind and complete a transfer to the Toon.
According to The Mirror, the Magpies are willing to bump his salary up to £120,000-a-week. This figure will increase the England international's salary by almost five times his current wage.
Despite the 95K increase in the midfielder's wages, Newcastle's proposed figure is said to be within the boundaries of the club's current financial structure.
Phillips is also wanted by Aston Villa as Steven Gerrard is desperate to strengthen his midfield in the next transfer window.
He is looking to find replacements for Douglas Luiz and Carney Chukwuemeka as they are expected to depart at the end of the season.
Gerrard has named Phillips as his primary target, but Villa will be expected to fork out a large sum of money to be in with a chance of securing his signature.
Meanwhile, Leeds previously rejected two of West Ham United's offers of around £55million in the January transfer window as they were eager to hold onto the England international.
However, Leeds could be at risk of losing the 26-year-old this summer... despite their best efforts to keep hold of him.
Meanwhile, the Whites are also expecting to lose winger Raphinha with Barcelona and Paris St Germain keen and are braced for bids for Phillips and goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
They remain hopeful of striking a deal with Red Bull Salzburg for Brenden Aaronson and are holding talks this week over potential strikers for the summer.
Leeds are also working on finding cover for Phillips, Raphinha and for full back positions.