Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho has now made a surprising claim regarding Kalvin Philips’ transfer to Manchester City from Leeds United.
Initially, it was reported that the England international midfielder joined Manchester City from Leeds in a deal worth around £45 million. However, Mourinho has now claimed that the deal was worth around €80 million.
Mourinho mentioned the transfer while explaining that it is easy for clubs like Manchester City to spend substantial amounts of money on a player and move on easily even if they fail to deliver. However, it is not the same with clubs like Roma who have limited resources.
? José Mourinho: “Not that I'm jealous, but Man City paid €80 million for Kalvin Phillips and now Pep has said it would be better for him to leave…”.
“So he’ll leave and they'll get someone else. Our reality is very different. It’s not easy for us to sign one player!”. pic.twitter.com/wmBOVo4C6A
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 14, 2023
Phillips has been an underwhelming addition for Manchester City. He has barely featured for the Premier League giants because of a number of injury problems and he was criticised by manager Pep Guardiola for being overweight as well.
He has previously shown his quality in the English top flight with the Leeds and it remains to be seen whether he can secure a January exit and get his career back on track with regular football at another club.