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Liverpool: Nat Phillips could leave in January
James Pearce reckons Liverpool could be willing to sell defender Nathaniel Phillips to Newcastle United in January.
The lowdown
Phillips played 17 Premier League games for the Reds last season in the midst of an injury crisis, helping them salvage a third-place finish.
But with Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez back fit and Ibrahima Konate added to the Liverpool ranks, he’s not made a single top-flight appearance so far this term.
In fact, he’s only played 46 minutes for the senior side in total.
Phillips signed a new £65,000-per-week deal as recently as August, and it runs until June 2025.
Jurgen Klopp has branded him a ‘monster’, while Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher called his 2020/21 efforts ‘unbelievable’.
The latest
In a Q&A for The Athletic, Pearce was asked whether there were any players Liverpool might be interested in selling to Newcastle United.
He replied that Phillips ‘would be the obvious one’, assuming they want a centre-half.
“Looking at Klopp’s squad,” he added. “I’d say CB is probably only the only area where he could afford to lose someone.”
‘LFC had hoped’ to receive offers in the region of £10million-£12million last summer amid ‘lots of interest’, but ‘serious’ bids never really materialised.
The verdict
According to The Telegraph, Phillips is very much a target for the relegation-threatened Magpies.
Will Liverpool’s demands be met this time? Well, they might consider themselves to be in a strong negotiating position after agreeing a new contract.
But, on the other hand, it’s possible that Phillips’ almost total lack of involvement has seen his perceived value depreciate.
Either way, it probably makes sense for the Reds to cash in. They have a potentially lucrative asset sitting in their reserves, and a sale could help funds raise funds for incomings.
In other news, fans flocked to this AFCON development.
