West Ham United have lost defender Angelo Ogbonna for the foreseeable future after the Italian injured his ACL against Liverpool earlier this month.
In an attempt to replace the commanding centre-back, according to a recent report from Football Insider, the Hammers have identified Liverpool’s Nat Phillips as the ideal replacement.
Phillips, 24, played a key role for Jurgen Klopp last season when the Reds were suffering from somewhat of a defensive injury crisis themselves.
However, now with talisman Virgil Van Dijk back, Phillips has seen his name fall way down in his manager’s pecking order and that could prompt one of the side’s domestic rivals to register their interest.
MORE: Jamie Carragher claims Rio Ferdinand pushed for Chelsea transfer after titles dried up at Man United
Should any club look to lure Phillips away from Anfield it is expected that a £12m bid would be enough.
With Ogbonna set to miss a large part of this season, David Moyes will now be on the lookout for a new defender to step in and fill the void lost by his regular centre-back.
CaughtOffside’s Verdict
Given the vital role he played last season, Phillips will probably be feeling aggrieved to have featured in so few games so far this campaign.
Having failed to appear in a single Premier League this time out, Phillips, who has four years left on his contract, will be hoping to get some game time, but competing against the likes of Van Dijk and Joel Matip is going to be a near-impossible task.
With Ogbonna ruled out for quite some time and West Ham United not expected to spend too heavily in the January market, a loan move for the English defender certainly makes a lot of sense and could be a move that benefits all parties.