‘These won’t give me the money for him’: Chris Kamara reveals how Jose Mourinho told him he could NOT pay Virgil van Dijk’s £75m at Manchester United, leaving him to sign for Liverpool.
- José Mourinho once rejected Chris Kamara’s suggestion to sign Virgil van Dijk
- The then Manchester United manager said his bosses “wouldn’t give him the money”
- The Red Devils signed England star Harry Maguire for £80m in 2019
Former Manchester United manager José Mourinho wanted to sign Virgil van Dijk ahead of his £75m move to Liverpool in 2017, but Old Trafford bosses weren’t ready to shell out the highly-rated Dutchman, according to Chris Kamara .
speaking in the BBC ‘Proper Football Podcast’Kamara revealed that he once advised the Portuguese manager to sign Van Dijk after successful spells at Southampton and Celtic, but Mourinho simply dismissed the idea, confident his bosses would not provide enough funds for the transfer.
‘I can exclusively reveal that I told José [Mourinho] to take him to Manchester United and José said: “They won’t give me the money for him.” Yes, and he went to Liverpool,’ he said on the podcast.
Following his move to Anfield, Van Dijk became an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s success, scoring Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League honors in Liverpool.
Despite winning the Europa League in 2017 under Mourinho, Manchester United soon discovered their squad was in dire need of an elite centre-half and subsequently signed England international Harry Maguire for £80m in 2019 during Ole’s reign. Gunnar Solskjaer.
Chris Kamara (left) has revealed how José Mourinho (right) told him he couldn’t afford Virgil van Dijk at Manchester United, before the Dutchman signed for Liverpool for £75m in 2017.
Van Dijk became a big part of Liverpool’s success, amassing a portfolio of trophies at Anfield.
Maguire, who is now the club’s captain, has since been sidelined and starved for regular first-team football by Erik ten Hag, who may well look to dump the underprivileged centre-back at the end of the season.
During Mourinho’s two-year spell at Old Trafford, the Red Devils spent £369m on new players in a bid to return to the illustrious heights they enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Paul Pogba returned to the club for £89m at the end of the 2016 campaign, Romelu Lukaku joined for £75m the following summer and Fred marked Manchester United’s third-highest purchase during Mourinho’s tenure, coming in for £52m. from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Meanwhile, David Moyes was awarded £65m in total during his ill-fated spell after Ferguson’s retirement, Louis van Gaal was awarded £259m during his two-year stint at Old Trafford, and Solskjaer he was offered £374 million in new players.
Old Trafford bosses subsequently signed England international Harry Maguire for £80m in 2019, but the defender has now lost his place under Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.