Liverpool make final decision on future of Phillips with Klopp soft spot clear
Liverpool are expected to allow defender Nat Phillips to leave the club in the summer in order for him to pursue regular first-team football elsewhere.
Phillips, 25, has failed to establish himself as a first-team regular after deputising effectively for the Reds during their injury-ravaged 2020/21 campaign but is still a popular figure at Anfield.
The centre-back spent the second half of last season on loan in the Championship with Bournemouth and was tipped to leave Liverpool on a permanent basis last summer. And although a move failed to materialise then, the Reds favourite could finally be on the move at the end of the current campaign.
According to The Athletic, Phillips is expected to leave the club at the end of the current campaign with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez ahead of him in the pecking order.
While nobody has been credited with a concrete interest in Phillips, both Newcastle and West Ham were linked with the centre-back in January, where it was claimed that the Reds were seeking around £15million for his services.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
Although Phillips has failed to nail down a regular starting spot at Anfield, he's held in very high esteem by Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, who hailed him and fellow centre-back Rhys Williams as "incredible" back in 2021.
“These two boys, playing like that, it is incredible, absolutely incredible. That was a proper crash course in a Premier League education, and they have learned so much,” Klopp said. “It’s a sign for all our kids at Liverpool in the academy. It’s possible - it shows it’s possible...just work hard.
Join the debate! Do you think Liverpool should let Phillips leave in the summer ? Let us know here.
Nat Phillips hasn't played much for Liverpool and is expected to move on at the end of the season (Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)“These boys they are obviously not skilled like crazy, they had to work incredibly hard. And now they are proper, proper Premier League players. And that’s exactly how it can work. I am really happy for them.”
Liverpool are expected to be busy in the summer transfer window as Klopp bids to remould a squad thats has gone off the boil this term. A big revamp is expected in midfield, with Borussia Dortmund talisman Jude Bellingham a key target.
Mason Mount is also believed to be on the Reds' radar in the wake of his contract stand-off with Chelsea while Wolves midfielder Matheus Cunha is expected to be targeted again after he was linked with a move to Merseyside back in January.
Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are two other names who have been tipped to move on from Anfield in the summer to free up space for new arrivals.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
