Jurgen Klopp has reportedly told Liverpool defender Nat Phillips that he can leave in this January’s transfer window.
However, the Reds have apparently rejected an offer from Watford for Phillips, with the Hornets offering around £7million and LFC looking for more like £12m, according to Football Insider.
Liverpool are obviously under no obligation to sell a player for anything less than they want to, but it seems puzzling that they’re haggling over a relatively small amount of money for a player so far down Klopp’s pecking order.
Phillips has rarely been a first-team regular at Anfield, though he had a decent spell in the side last season when Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez were all out injured.
Now, however, the 24-year-old is back to being a backup player, having made only three appearances so far this season, and one imagines he’d do well to move to somewhere like Watford to advance his career.
Claudio Ranieri’s side would undoubtedly also benefit from bringing in a player of his calibre, with it looking like a huge challenge for the club to avoid relegation this season.
It will be interesting to see if Watford improve their offer later this month or if someone else comes in for Phillips in the mean time.