Barcelona’s Missed Opportunity: Kalvin Phillips’ Near Move to Camp Nou

The future of Kalvin Phillips came close to involving Barcelona, but the Blaugrana club failed to act swiftly enough to negotiate his loan. When news reached Barcelona’s offices that the Manchester City midfielder was set to leave in the winter transfer market, the club’s radar quickly honed in on the former Leeds United player.

As reported by SPORT, Barcelona thoroughly assessed his situation and knew there were real chances of him joining because Phillips was keen on the prospect of playing the final six months of this season with Barcelona.

However, the operation was only considered viable if the loan was free, with Barcelona covering only his salary. The City was initially unwilling to accept this, mindful of avoiding a situation similar to the Cancelo case with the Blaugrana.

By January 24, the possibility of Kalvin Phillips landing in Barcelona became increasingly remote. Faced with Barcelona’s inability to generate sufficient ‘fair play’ to register him (the remaining €40 million from the Barça Vision lever was not received), Phillips grew anxious. He instructed his agent to explore other options, leading to interest from David Moyes’ West Ham.

On the same day, Balde suffered an injury against Athletic Club in San Mamés. However, it wasn’t until three days later that it was confirmed the full-back would require surgery. Additionally, Barcelona had to wait until the operation (which took place on the 30th) to confirm that Balde would be out for the entire season, creating financial space with 80% of the academy player’s salary.

By then, it was too late, as on January 26, West Ham announced the deal with City for the loan of the English midfielder. Although the specific figures haven’t been disclosed, reports in England suggest City demanded £8 million for the loan period, along with covering the entire salary – a hefty £140,000 per week (approximately €165,000).

In the end, Barcelona’s delay in receiving the final verdict on Balde’s injury left them out of the running for the operation, according to ‘MARCA’.