Nathaniel Phillips is reportedly inching closer to sealing his departure from Liverpool, with a move to Watford on the cards.
According to a report by Italian outlet Calciomercato, Nathaniel Phillips will leave Liverpool before the January transfer window shuts down. The 24-year-old defender will stay within the Premier League, with Watford on the verge of securing his services.
Nathaniel Phillips is a player who Liverpool fans will fondly remember for years despite barely featuring for the club since joining them in 2016. In fact, the Englishman made more league appearances while on loan at VfB Stuttgart than he has for the Reds so far.
But after playing a pivotal role in helping Liverpool clinch a top-four finish in the absence of the three primary centre-backs last season, Phillips has earned a lot of admirers. Following the returns of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, Phillips’s stock was bound to fall. But his predicament worsened after Liverpool signed Ibrahima Konate last summer.
The 24-year-old has made only four appearances for Liverpool this season, while garnering just 224 minutes of game-time. And with Rhys Williams recalled from his loan spell at Swansea City, Phillips has inched closer to the exit door at Anfield, with Watford touted to be his next destination.
The interest from Watford is hardly surprising, even though Claudio Ranieri has six centre-backs at his disposal. But none of his central defenders has managed to impress much this season, prompting the Hornets to sign Samir from Udinese in the ongoing transfer window.
Their 3-0 capitulation at the hands of Norwich City this week has once again illustrated the need to sign another centre-back, making Phillips a viable target. The Hornets have already had one offer worth around £7 million rejected by Liverpool, but it looks like they are now set to sign the 24-year-old.
The report claims that Phillips is on the verge of completing a cross-Premier League switch to join Watford this month, although a transfer fee is not mentioned. But with the Liverpool defender already showing his ability to produce special performances at the back last season, Watford will hope to retain their Premier League status with the Englishman on board at Vicarage Road.