Galatasaray are ‘leading the chase’ to sign Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips before the end of the January transfer window, according to James Pearce for The Athletic.
The Lowdown: Phillips down the pecking order
The 25-year-old has struggled to enjoy much playing time at Anfield this season, finding himself as the fifth-choice centre-back behind Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.
Phillips has only started one match in the 2022/23 Premier League so far and he also has just 24 minutes of action under his belt since the turn of the year.
Time is running out to buy and sell players in January ahead of Tuesday night’s deadline, but it looks as though the Englishman could yet depart before the cut-off.
The Latest: Galatasaray lead the chase
Taking to Twitter in sharing a corresponding article for The Athletic, Pearce claimed that Galatasaray are in pole position to snap up Phillips, although it isn’t yet decided if the move will be a loan or a permanent exit.
The reporter succinctly tweeted:
“Galatasaray leading the chase to sign Liverpool defender Nat Phillips.”
The Verdict: Time to move on
Phillips has always given his all in a Liverpool shirt whenever he has been asked to do a job, even being hailed as “immense” by Jurgen Klopp and starting 15 league games back in 2020/21 in the midst of a defensive injury crisis at Anfield.
It does feel like the right time for the defender to leave permanently, though, with minutes set to be hard come by in the second half of the season, especially with the Reds now out of both domestic cup competitions.
At 25, the £65,000-per-week Phillips needs to be playing regularly somewhere, and Galatasaray could be ideal, giving him a taste of football in a different country at a team who are on course for a league title and making him a more rounded player.
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