Liverpool urged to sign Man City reject

Stuart Telford

10 Nov 2023 16:39 CST
3 min read

Liverpool should sign Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City - if the price is right - according to former Reds full-back Glen Johnson.

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Phillips joined Man City from Leeds for £42 million in July 2022, but only two of his 16 Premier League appearances since have been starts.

Rodri is Pep Guardiola's undisputed first choice at defensive midfield at the Etihad, but he has generally been partnered by a defender playing a hybrid role this season, be it John Stone, Manuel Akanji or Rico Lewis.

READ: Why Bayern Munich transfer is Man City star's best chance at saving career

Phillips remains a favourite of Gareth Southgate's, but if he wants to keep his place in England's midfield ahead of the Euros in Germany next summer, a January move for regular first-team football would seem wise.

🔵 Kalvin Phillips, expected to leave in January.

Guardiola: "Kalvin , exceptional in many things. Why he doesn't play? Rodri, key for us...".

"Never, ever makes one action against mates that play, or a bad face, training bad. I'd love to give him as much minutes as possible". pic.twitter.com/rPTA41rUfA
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 6, 2023

Johnson: 'I like him'

Newcastle, Bayern Munich and Juventus are among the clubs who have been linked with the Leeds native, but Johnson thinks his former club Liverpool should work to pull to the front of that queue.

"If the price is right," the former England right-back said in qualification to Betfred. "I like him and he's that sort of player who is happy to sit in that deep midfield role, win the ball back and feed it back to someone else, so I do think he would fit the bill, but not if you're talking £50m to £60m when he's hardly played.

READ: Man City want PROFIT on Phillips as Newcastle eye Tonali replacement

"If you’re trying to compete with these top teams whilst signing the players they don't want, then you won't be scaring the likes of Manchester City."

Phillips is currently valued at €20.4m (£17.9m) by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, but City have a good recent track record of selling high, regardless of how many minutes the player has played in their first team.

Liverpool lost Fabinho to Al-Ittihad in the summer, and although Jurgen Klopp replaced him, nominally, with Wataru Endo, the former Stuttgart man has only started one Premier League game under him since.