Liverpool may be left with no option but to sell one of their current players if they wish to move him on this summer.
As per Liverpool Echo, Nathaniel Phillips has interest from Leeds and Feyenoord, with the Reds setting an asking price of £10m.
However, the outlet have now claimed that the Anfield club may need to accept a lower amount for the 26-year-old if they’re to find a buyer in the current transfer window, with an expectation that the defender will leave on a permanent basis.
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Even with all of Liverpool’s first-team centre-backs suffering injuries at various intervals last season, and the Reds conceding their highest tally of goals in a Premier League campaign (47) since 2015/16, Phillips was still handed just five appearances by Klopp (Transfermarkt).
It’s a telling indicator of where the Bolton native lies in the pecking order at Anfield, despite his manager previously hailing him as a ‘smart guy’ and a ‘monster’ (Match of the Day, via Leeds Live).
With LFC also in the market for a new centre-back, amid ongoing links with Levi Colwill and Perr Schuurs, it seems undeniable that the number 47 has little hope of breaking into contention to start unless other options are injured, unavailable or rested.
Also, at 26 he’s well past the stage of being an up-and-coming prospect, so Phillips may feel that he needs to cut ties with Liverpool for good in order to advance his career.
It seems likely that he’ll be sold, but even if the Reds have to come down slightly on their original £10m valuation, they must still try to extract a decent sum for him instead of accepting a bargain from either Leeds or Feyenoord just to get him out the door – all the more so if their ongoing centre-back pursuits prove fruitless.
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