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Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips is in “advanced talks” with Leeds United over the move to the club this summer, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.
Is Nat Phillips still at Liverpool?
The 26-year-old has become a popular cult figure at Anfield in recent years, rarely actually forcing is way into Jurgen Klopp’s plans, but producing one admirable spell of form during the injury crisis of the 2020/21 season, helping the Reds finish third in the Premier League in the process.
It is clear that Phillips doesn’t have a long-term future at Liverpool, however, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate the go-to centre-back pairing, and Joel Matip and Joe Gomez still representing stronger options than him, too. Last season, he only played 66 minutes of league action, for example, and there is no reason why that would change this time around.
The Englishman is out of contract at Anfield in the summer of 2025, but it looks highly likely that he will secure a permanent move elsewhere before the end of the current transfer window. Leeds have been seen as front-runners to snap him up, and it now looks as though they will get their man.
Will Leeds sign Nat Phillips?
Taking to Twitter, Galetti provided a significant update on Phillips’ Liverpool future, claiming that he is on the verge of sealing an eight-figure move to Elland Road:
“Advanced talks between Leeds United and Liverpool for Nat Phillips. The parties are discussing some details about the proposal set at £10,000,000 add-ons included. The English CB has been targeted by Leeds as one of the ideal profiles to replace Wober, now on loan at Gladbach.”
This would be a perfect summer move for Phillips, allowing him to be an undoubted starter at a new club, and potentially even standing out as one of the best centre-backs in the Championship.
While the Liverpool man has occasionally looked limited in a Reds shirt, in terms of his ability on the ball, he could be such a key man for Leeds, given the drop down in quality from the Premier League to the second tier.
That’s not to say that Phillips isn’t a good player, though – Klopp has even hailed him as “absolutely insane” in the past – and his dominance in a defensive sense is outlined by an average of 5.6 aerial duel wins per game in the league during that aforementioned good run in the team back in 2020/21.
At 26, it is time for the Reds centre-back to fully settle at a new club, rather than not playing at all on Merseyside or being loaned out elsewhere, and Leeds would be getting a player full of heart and underrated quality – one who could prove to be a massive player for them as the look to return to the top flight at the first time of asking.
It also means Liverpool will receive a healthy amount of money for player who clearly has no future at the club, and the hope is that those funds can go towards more signings this summer, at a time when further midfield reinforcement are needed, as well as another central defender.