Liverpool turns down transfer bid for forgotten 27-year-old who could reunite with former manager

The transfer news cycle can move very quickly at this stage of the summer with fresh deals developing at any given moment.

Liverpool saw evidence of this with its bid for Anthony Gordon. No sooner was it revealed that talks had begun then players were reportedly been considered for part-exchange. First it was Jarell Quansah who was in the frame, then Joe Gomez, but ultimately the deal has not as yet been completed.

The future of Nat Phillips also seems to be changing by the hour. He was a hero during the Reds’ injury-ravaged 2020/21 season but has not appeared for the first team since an FA Cup tie at Wolves in January 2023. Despite being strongly linked with a move to Turkey, Phillips could be about to reunite with one of his former managers in the Championship.

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The 27-year-old had two spells out on loan in 2023/24. He made eight appearances for Celtic, including two in the Champions League, then played 18 games for Cardiff City.

The Athletic recently reported that Trabzonspor had made a $5.1m (£4m/€4.7m) bid for the player, only for Liverpool to turn it down. The reason given for declining the offer was that the club value Phillips at around $10.2m (£8m/€9.4m). He is under contract for one more season, so with the Reds in need of central defenders it would be reasonable to wonder if the club was looking to retain him in the short term.

However, a story from the Express earlier suggests otherwise, with a hint that new head coach Arne Slot has decided it is time for Phillips to move on.

And after that story broke, the Liverpool Echo reported that Phillips could be heading to Burnley. The Clarets recently appointed Scott Parker to replace Bayern Munich-bound Vincent Kompany. The new Burnley boss was previously in charge of Bournemouth, and he led them to promotion to the Premier League with help from an on-loan Phillips.

Indeed, Parker has given the center-back more minutes than any manager other than Jürgen Klopp, per Transfermarkt, and spoke warmly about the player after they worked together. “We brought him in in January and he was a driving force for us in getting promoted. An unbelievable professional, exceptional player in his moments,” he said. With the speed this story is moving, Phillips will be joining somebody else by the time you read this.

Liverpool.com says: It is clearly time for Phillips to leave Liverpool permanently and the upper reaches of the Championship feels like the right level at which he should start. Perhaps he and Parker can engineer promotion together for a second time.