Liverpool will reportedly demand a transfer fee of £15 million for Nathaniel Phillips, with Bournemouth keen on signing him permanently.
According to The Sun, Liverpool have slapped a price tag of £15 million on defender Nathaniel Phillips, who has emerged as a transfer target for newly-promoted Premier League club AFC Bournemouth.
Phillips joined Liverpool from Bolton Wanderers in 2016 and made his senior debut for the Reds in January 2020, sandwiched between two loan spells away at VfB Stuttgart. Back at Anfield in the summer of 2020, the 25-year-old was kept around by Jurgen Klopp, and it proved to be a smart decision.
As Liverpool struggled with injuries to Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip, Phillips stepped up brilliantly for the Reds in the second half of the 2020/21 campaign, helping them secure a top-four finish. But the aforementioned players returning to full fitness and the summer arrival of Ibrahima Konate pushed the Englishman down the pecking order at the Merseyside club.
Having not played much during the first half of the 2021/22 season, Phillips left Liverpool for Bournemouth in January, joining the Cherries on a six-month loan deal. The 25-year-old was a key performer for Bournemouth as he helped them achieve automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
With Phillips impressing heavily in his 18 appearances in the second half of the season gone by, Bournemouth are keen on making his transfer from Liverpool permanent in the summer as they prepare for life back in the top flight.
Liverpool, though, are not ready to let their defender leave for a bargain. Phillips is contracted with the Reds until the summer of 2025, and manager Klopp would be open to keeping him at Anfield, given that he rates the centre-back very highly. With Joe Gomez also staring at an uncertain future at Anfield amidst interest from Fulham, there may be room for the 25-year-old Phillips to stay at the club.
However, should an offer of around £15 million come along, the UEFA Champions League finalists would be happy to sanction an exit for the former Bolton Wanderers prospect. Whether Bournemouth are open to shelling out that amount of money or decide to look for cheaper alternatives remains to be seen.
