Leeds United losing Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips cheaply as a result of getting relegated from the Premier League would be a "blow" for the club, according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook.

The duo have been linked with moves away from Elland Road this summer, and they could become far more affordable if Leeds drop down into the Championship.

What's the latest news involving Raphinha and Phillips?

West Ham made a play to sign the pair at the end of the January transfer window, with The Guardian reporting that the Irons offered in the region of £50m for both players, but their bids were turned down.

Phillips has continued to be linked with the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle, while Raphinha is attracting interest from Barcelona.

Leeds may be hoping for sizeable fees for the two key players, but their cause will not be helped if they get relegated.

According to the Daily Mail, Raphinha and Phillips both have release clauses in their contracts, which would make them available for around £30m each, should Leeds go down.

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What has Crook said about Raphinha and Phillips' release clauses?

Leeds could have got £100m from West Ham for Raphinha and Phillips, but they may now only get £60m for them.

Crook has admitted that this would be a setback, but has admitted that the club's hierarchy would have been heavily criticised if they had sold Raphinha and Phillips at the start of the year.

When asked about the prospect of losing the pair cheaply if Leeds end the season in the bottom three, Crook told GIVEMESPORT: “It is a blow, but they were in a no-win position because if they’d sold Raphinha and Phillips in January, the fans would have turned. You saw them turning at the end of the game at the weekend, because that would have almost been a resignation that they were going down.

“West Ham left it too late to try and get that deal done anyway, in the last 48 hours of the window, but clearly there’s a big difference between getting £60m and £100m.”

Is it now clear how important it is for Leeds to stay up?

Absolutely.

Looking at the playing side of things, Leeds were outside the top-flight for 16 years before they made their return in 2020, and it would be a huge setback for them to drop into the second tier after two seasons.

Furthermore, from a financial perspective, it could be a disaster. They look set to lose players for nowhere near their market value if they get relegated, and this could leave Jesse Marsch with limited funds to stamp his own mark on the squad this summer.

Leeds desperately need to stay up so that they can either hang on to Raphinha and Phillips, or at least get appropriate transfer fees for them.

This will allow them to properly reinvest in the team to give them the best chance of bouncing back from what has been a disappointing campaign.

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