Jose Mourinho has clear opinion as Liverpool 'withdraw' from transfer battle
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Liverpool have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Joshua Kimmich, a player Jose Mourinho once lauded as "absolutely phenomenal". The Bayern Munich ace, 29, has been on Liverpool's radar for years, with former manager Jurgen Klopp a big admirer of his. With his contract at the Allianz Arena up at the end of the season, and extension talks stagnating, a summer departure looks increasingly likely.
But a move to Anfield doesn't appear to be on the cards, with Reds boss Arne Slot reportedly content with the midfielders he has. Liverpool were in the market for a central midfielder last summer and saw a deal for Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi fall through at the last minute. But it seems those transfer plans have been shelved for the time being.
Perhaps it's no surprise, given how well the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones have been playing this season. That said, Kimmich has proven himself an elite central midfielder in recent years, and he offers a degree of versatility few other players can.
Back in 2020, Mourinho lauded Kimmich for his intelligence, influence and unique adaptability. "I see him as a top right-back, left-back, centre-back, No. 6, No. 8, No. 10... he has qualities to be anything," the ex-Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss told DAZN.
"He's intelligent and understands what he has to do here and what he has to do there. I think he's phenomenal - absolutely phenomenal player. I'm a team coach and not an individual coach. "For me, the team is much more important than the individuals. For Bayern to win the Champions League is much more important than for somebody to win an individual award but I see this kid [Kimmich] with Lewandowski [and] Neuer. I see this kid with these guys in an elite group capable of winning individual awards.".
