Why Liverpool’s Nat Phillips transfer stance has changed
Robin Bairner
- 13 Jun 2022 13:53 BST
- 3 min read
Nat Phillips was one of several players that Liverpool were set to transfer out of the club, but reports suggest they could now be reconsidering that stance.
The 25-year-old centre-back failed to play a Premier League match for the Anfield club in the first half of the 2021/22 season before being sent on loan to Bournemouth, where he played a key role as the Cherries claimed their place back in the Premier League. Indeed, he missed only one of 18 Championship matches following a loan move late in the January transfer window.
Approaching the peak years of his career, it had been speculated that he could return to Bournemouth on a permanent basis for a fee of around €17.5 million (£15m).
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The Cherries paid Liverpool £1.5m to take Phillips on loan in January and there was a further £250,000 bonus given that they won promotion.
The Liverpool Echo, meanwhile, has reported that Jurgen Klopp and his team are having a rethink over this plan. The Reds could take a longer-term view over Phillips and instead of selling him definitively this summer are tempted to instead loan him out again, with Bournemouth still comfortable frontrunners for him.
Why Liverpool could loan Phillips
Liverpool are under little pressure to sell the defender, who is under contract until 2025. His value, then, is unlikely to diminish over the course of the next season.
Indeed, the Reds are hopeful that they might even get more for the centre-back given that he would likely be a keystone of a Bournemouth team playing Premier League football. This would likely see his value increase – and if he really starred on loan in the top flight, it would give Liverpool a long-term succession plan for Joel Matip.
Divock Origi and Loris Karius are two figures who have seen long Liverpool careers come to an end this summer, but there is no guarantee that Phillips will be another.
