Liverpool's Nat Phillips attracting interest from Turkey after asking price slashed

Almost two years since his last appearance for the club, a permanent exit for Liverpool's long-serving defender Nat Phillips is close to being agreed.

Phillips, who spent the latter half of last season on loan with Cardiff City, has been attracting interest from several clubs at home and abroad.

In the last few weeks, interest from Turkey has been gathering momentum, with transfer insider Fabrizio Romano now reporting that Phillips could be sold to Turkish giants Trabzonspor.

Romano told Playback: "Nat Phillips to Trabzonspor is a concrete possibility, yes. Trabzonspor are in negotiations for Phillips; waiting for the player to decide."

Asking place reduced for Phillips

The 27-year-old has been on the market for some time, but the Reds' initial valuation priced out many Championship clubs.

Turkish outlet 61 Saat (via Leeds United News) reported that Liverpool’s original price tag for Phillips was £8 million, but it has now been reduced to £5 million, which could attract bids from other clubs, including Leeds, with manager Daniel Farke a long-time admirer.

Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu reported that Trabzonspor have already made a bid for the defender.

However, in a fresh update on Sunday morning, Sabuncuoglu posted on X: "The first offer made by Trabzonspor was rejected. Liverpool wanted £5 million for Nathaniel Phillips."

A capable performer

Despite Phillips finding himself on the periphery at Liverpool over the past couple of years, the Reds were right to dismiss Trabzonspor’s first offer if it fell short of the £5 million valuation.

Even with the defender now entering the final year of his £65,000-per-week contract, the figure seems reasonable for a player who proved his worth during the defensive injury crisis that plagued the 2020/21 season, enjoying an extended run in the first team and featuring 20 times across all competitions.

However, he has played just eight times for Liverpool since, spending more time on loan at clubs such as Bournemouth, Celtic and Cardiff City.