Premier League new-boys Bournemouth are considering making another approach for Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips.
That’s according to the Liverpool Echo, who now claim that Liverpool prefer to sell the 25-year-old, rather than send him out on-loan again.
For that to happen, it’s claimed that The Reds would need a bid of between £12m and £15m. There are reportedly ‘a number’ of interested parties, but no concrete offers have been received.
Liverpool are said to have previously been keen for Phillips to go on-loan, but have since changed their mind.
The ball’s in Bournemouth’s court
The happiest ending to this transfer saga would be for Phillips to get his move to Bournemouth.
It would be a good deal for all parties for the quoted price, and would allow the 25-year-old to kick-start his career.
Unfortunately for Phillips, it looks like the clubs interested in his services are hoping to smoke Liverpool’s offer out. The longer he sits unused at Anfield once the season starts, the lower his value becomes.
In theory, that makes sense. But Liverpool are under no pressure to sell Phillips permanently, as he is under contract until 2025. Should they not receive any satisfactory bids, Phillips will stay put.
That would be a disappointing scenario for the player, who is unlikely to play much of a part in the first-team, but Liverpool did something similar last season.
The ‘Bolton Baresi’ is a good option to have for Jurgen Klopp in-case of any injuries to his four senior options Klopp loves Phillips and called him ‘exceptional’ in October last year via liverpoolfc.com. As The Reds wait on news of Ibrahima Konate’s injury from yesterday, maybe the landscape could even change again.
As of now, though, the ball is very much in Bournemouth’s court. Liverpool’s asking price has been public for months now. If they make a suitable offer for the player, he’s surely all theirs.
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