Nat Phillips set for transfer as former Derby County defender closes in on Liverpool exit
Latest Derby County news from DerbyshireLive brings you where Nat Phillips is heading amid a race to sign the Reds centre-back
Former Derby County defender Nat Phillips is set to join West Bromwich Albion on a permanent move as his exit from Liverpool moved a step closer.
The centre-back is set to become new manager Ryan Mason’s first signing of the summer as the Baggies attempt to build a squad that can challenge for promotion.
Phillips was exceptional for Derby last season during a season-long loan spell and produced a series of exceptional performances in the second half of the campaign.
That helped Derby survive relegation with the centre-back scoring a crucial goal in a 1-0 win at relegation rivals Hull City.
Phillips has one year remaining on his contract at Liverpool on a reported £65,000-a-week, but has been unable to nail down a first-team place both under Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.
With Liverpool looking to further enhance their centre-back options with a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, Phillips is well down the pecking order.
According to John Percy of the Telegraph, Phillips, who made 33 appearances for Derby last term, is now set for a move to the West Midlands.
Derby head coach John Eustace was a big fan of Phillips and asked after he had steered the club to safety whether he would like to keep the centre-back, he said: “Yeah, for sure.
“We’ve slowly got more clean sheets which is great. If you look at the time that we’ve been here, it’s a seven-week program for pre-season, there’s been a lot of work put in to get to this stage now where we’re very competitive and hard to play against.
“That’s been a group effort from the players and understanding their roles and responsibilities. To lose two of the last 11 is a fantastic achievement from where we came in.
It’s just a lot of hard work on the training field really and they’ve all been very good
