According to the Daily Star (27/02, p42), Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips is now ‘closing in’ on a move to Premier League rivals Burnley.
Phillips was on the fringes of the Liverpool squad at the start of last season, but emerged as a dependable centre back once Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip went down with injuries.
With Ibrahima Konate now signed, Phillips may not have a future at Anfield after all – and a move could now be on the cards.
Phillips off to Burnley?
It’s claimed that Burnley are now closing in on signing Phillips as Sean Dyche continues to look for other centre back options.
Nathan Collins has come in from Stoke City, but with fears over the future of James Tarkowski, a move for Phillips is now being lined up too.
The Daily Mail reported just a matter of days ago that Liverpool want £15million for Phillips, with his move to Burnley surely in that region.
Liverpool duo could benefit
If Phillips does leave Liverpool – for much more than they would have expected a year ago – then Rhys Williams and Ben Davies could benefit.
Williams and Davies figure to move up the pecking order a little with Phillips gone, offering cover behind Van Dijk, Gomez, Konate and Matip.
Liverpool may also be able to put the Phillips money towards a signing of their own, with the deal making sense even if Phillips had become a popular player at Anfield, even being branded ‘colossal’ after a superb display against Burnley.
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