Burnley has some competition.
According to a report from the Lancashire Live, Newcastle United has entered the fray to sign Nat Phillips this transfer window, rivalling Burnley for the giant heading man’s signature. It is said that a transfer fee of around £10m will be needed to prise Phillips away from Liverpool FC.
Newcastle are said to have the edge here – with detective novel extraordinaire Steve Bruce reportedly having a £50million budget to spend this summer. Meanwhile, the Clarets probably know they don’t have the financial muscle to compete, having lodged a bid for Stoke City defender Nathan Collins while looking at other defensive options such as Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall and Collins’ team-mate Harry Souttar.
Nat Phillips has a decision to make. After a strong finish to the season, is he content being fifth-choice behind a list of admittedly injury-prone names or does he want regular football? While he isn’t the fleet-footed, high-line passer Liverpool looks for in their centre-halfs, Nat clearly proved that he belonged in this league with his play. Tyneside may just give him the regular football he may be looking for.