Howe eyeing move for Liverpool's forgotten man - Asking price set at £15m

Howe eyeing move for Liverpool's forgotten man - Asking price set at £15m - Report

by Olly Hawkins · Published 13 January 2022, 11:53

According to Mark Douglas, Newcastle United are considering a January move for Liverpool's Nat Phillips.

In his latest piece for i news, the former reporter at The Chronicle claims that the centre-back is 'high on Eddie Howe's wanted list'.

The 6ft 3' defender is believed to be available for £15m this month, with the Reds looking set to sell after he slipped way back down the pecking order at Anfield.

Phillips, 24, impressed under Jurgen Klopp last season, making 20 appearances and stepping in admirably after injuries to Van Dijk, Matip and Gomez left Liverpool with a real shortage of fit centre-backs.

However, with all three fit again and Ibrahim Konate also arriving in a £36m move from RB Leipzig over the summer, Phillips hasn't played a single minute of Premier League football this season, featuring only four times in Klopp's matchday squad.

Here's a snippet from Mark Douglas' latest piece on all things NUFC, touching on our interest in Botman, Carlos, Phillips and Ekitike:

https://twitter.com/NUFC360/status/1481586066629013504

Newcastle United’s January transfer window moves are being dictated by availability of their top targets.

As i reported on Tuesday, the club are making “good progress” as they look to add a centre-back to the squad before a critical run of games that includes relegation rivals Watford and Leeds.

But the club have made an early transfer window call to pivot to players capable of delivering Premier League safety immediately. “Nothing else matters, the long-term stuff can wait,” a senior source told i.

Newcastle are working on a deal for Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, who has been identified as a good fit for the Premier League.

Liverpool’s Nat Phillips is another name high on Eddie Howe’s wanted list and the Reds are open to offers for the 24-year-old. But he would not come cheap, with a £15million price tag on the centre-back.

Lille resisted moves for top target Sven Botman and his agent told the club he wanted to play Champions League football.

The club are looking to lay down a marker with agents and sellers after feeling many targets have been overpriced. “PIF is a sensible investment fund. There are funds but they don’t splash the cash unnecessarily – it’s a message that will get through to people,” the source said.

The Magpies want to recruit a second striker of the window – the club are negotiating with Stade Reims over 19-year-old forward Hugo Ekitike, dubbed the “new Kylian Mbappe” after scoring 8 goals in 20 games in his first season in top flight football.