Jurgen Klopp is on the prowl for a new defensive midfielder after releasing Fabinho in the summer and Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips has been linked with a controversial move to Anfield.
The Cityzens have always been predisposed to doing business with their Premier League counterparts, as in the case of them selling the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal, not forgetting Raheem Sterling to and Cole Palmer Chelsea. The latter two may have turned out to possibly be a regrettable decision both players got on the scoresheet during Sunday’s 4-4 goal fest at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking via the Mirror to the media at his pre-Chelsea match press conference, Pep Guardiola candidly admitted he has no reservations regarding selling his players to Premier League rivals.
He said: “If they want to go to Chelsea or [Manchester] United or, I don’t know, Liverpool, whatever, what is the problem? They are happy to be there and the club is happy with the transfer.
“The other club is happy with the amount of money they spend, so it is fine. Another player will come to us and we keep going in a good spirit and a good mood.”
Phillips is in need of regular match time and is also “looking for an adventure”, according to Calciomercato, with Newcastle described as “leading the pack” with Liverpool and Juventus also interested in the midfielder.
Although as yet the report doesn’t reveal how much the star might cost in the winter transfer window, it will be a “complicated” deal to complete in a short January transfer window, after factoring in City’s asking price and the player’s wages.
The midfielder reportedly earns £160,000 per week, which is admittedly steep for a player who has ended up a benchwarmer in the blue side of Manchester.