Liverpool have reportedly put a £15 million price tag on Nat Phillips, with a view to selling the defender in January.
Phillips made 20 appearances last season – winning the club’s player of the month award in March – as the Reds wrestled with an unprecedented injury crisis at the back, but it always felt like his long-term future lay away from Anfield.
And so it might be about to prove. According to The Athletic, Phillips is keen to leave in order to get more regular minutes and will be allowed to do so if the Reds' asking price is met.
The 24-year-old has featured only three times this term, with his only start coming earlier this month as Jurgen Klopp’s side beat AC Milan 2-1 in their final Champions League group game.
With the summer arrival of Ibrahima Konate, he has also fallen further down the Reds pecking order.
Phillips joined Liverpool from Bolton as a youngster in 2016, and if he does move on in the New Year, it is bound to be with a glowing endorsement from his current boss — who recently compared him to *checks notes* … ah, yes, Robert Lewandowski.
“People often ask me which player made the biggest improvements under my leadership and I say Robert Lewandowski,” Klopp said. “That’s probably right, but not far off is Nat Phillips.”
High praise indeed.
Where could Phillips end, up then?
Well, he has been linked with a switch to West Ham – who lost key centre-back Angelo Ogbonna to a long-term knee injury sustained in their 3-2 win against Liverpool last month.
Newcastle have also been touted as a potential landing spot – and, let’s face it, it couldn’t be much more obvious that the Magpies need to prioritise spending the first of their billions on defensive reinforcements.
At the moment, Phillips is recovering after breaking his cheekbone in a clash of heads with Zlatan Ibrahimovic (ouch) in that Milan match, but it looks set to be a short-term lay-off and shouldn't put off any would-be buyers.
