Liverpool defender Nat Phillips could find a permanent new home this summer after years of loans away from Anfield. He still has a year left on his contract, but has no long-term future under Arne Slot.
Phillips, now 28, has spent time on loan at Stuttgart, Bournemouth, Celtic, Cardiff City and Derby County in recent seasons. He made 32 appearances and kept five clean sheets for the Rams last season, helping them steer clear of relegation to League One.
West Brom is one club considering a move for Phillips this summer. However, the Express and Star reports that Jonh Eustace's side will face competition from a number of other Championship teams for his signature.
A move to the second tier on a permanent basis would make sense for Phillips. Last summer, Liverpool turned down a bid worth around $5.4 million (£4.0 million) from Trabzonspor in Turkey.
When Liverpool reached the Champions League final in 2022, ultimately losing 1-0 to Real Madrid in Paris, Phillips and Rhys Williams — the latter of whom just spent a year on loan at Morecambe, where he was relegated out of League Two — were two of the first people that Jurgen Klopp messaged.
"I messaged Rhys and Nat because we wouldn’t be there without them," Klopp told Sky Sports News at the time.
Alisson, Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips of Liverpool celebrate victory after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on May 13, 2021 in Manchester, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors.
Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams were heroes under Jurgen Klopp in 2020/21 (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
"I remember the final game of last season. They left the pitch with a bandage around the head, cuts on their faces, and that was really a symbol for the whole period. We went through on one leg, with one eye... it was incredible. It was such a tough season.
"Hopefully nobody forgot how hard we fought to get here. We felt it mentally. The public wasn’t shy of telling us that we underperformed and all these kind of things.
"You try to understand, you think, 'Wait a minute, we’re facing teams in the strongest league in the world having played for the majority of the time without our full defense'.
"We had no center-halves, had to play midfielders in the last line, then had to use other players in midfield, and nothing worked really.
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"In the end, we played with two incredible players — Rhys and Nat — but we couldn’t use them earlier because they needed time to adapt. So, yes, there was a bit of a point to prove and I’m really happy that the boys did that."
Phillips and his partner, Molly Moorish-Gallagher, the daughter of Oasis star Liam Gallagher, are currently expecting a baby. They revealed the news on social media around a month ago.
Liverpool.com says: Phillips played his part for the Reds but he should have moved on that summer when he value was highest. The Championship feels like the right level for him, where he did well enough to earn glances from other clubs about a potential transfer.