Brighton ‘plot swoop for Liverpool star Nat Phillips as £15m-rated defender is identified as Arsenal-bound Ben White’s replacement’ ahead of Three Lions star’s impending £50m move to North London
- Brighton are reportedly plotting a swoop for Liverpool defender Nat Phillips
- The Seagulls are set to lose Ben White to Arsenal in a £50m deal this summer
- Boss Graham Potter has eyed £15m Phillips as the 23-year-old’s replacement
- Phillips made 20 appearances last season but has fallen down the pecking order
Brighton and Hove Albion are reportedly lining up a move for Liverpool defender Nat Phillips as the Seagulls identify the £15m centre back as Arsenal-bound Ben White’s replacement.
White, who was part of England’s squad for Euro 2020, is set to join Arsenal after the Gunners agreed a £50m deal with Premier League rivals Brighton for the 23-year-old’s services last week.
The former Leeds loanee impressed in a back three alongside Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster, but his impending departure means that the Seagulls are on the hunt for a new star to fill the void left by the England international.
Brighton are reportedly planning a move for Liverpool defender Nat Phillips this summer
And according to talkSPORT, Brighton are planning a £15m raid on Liverpool for defender Phillips.
The 24-year-old has been told by the Anfield club that he is allowed to leave Merseyside this summer if a club is able to offer him regular first team football.
Phillips’ first team opportunities under Jurgen Klopp appear limited, having filled in during Liverpool’s defensive crisis last season.
The Seagulls are on the hunt for a replacement for Arsenal-bound Ben White amid a £50m deal
Phillips 24, has impressed for Liverpool but has fallen down the pecking order at Anfield
Although Liverpool failed to defend their Premier League crown due to a leaky defence and uncharacteristically blunt attack, Phillips impressed for Klopp’s side over 20 appearances for the club.
However, with the likes of Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk expected to return soon, plus the arrival of Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig, Phillips is well down the pecking order at Anfield.
Phillips has previously been linked with a move to Sean Dyche’s Burnley, but it appears that he has caught the eye of Brighton boss Graham Potter too.
Brighton boss Graham Potter has eyed the £15m man as a suitable replacement for White
Last month, the Englishman acknowledged that he needs game time at this important stage of his career.
‘Every player wants to be playing games, and at the stage I’m at, I need to be playing games for my development,’ he told Goal.
‘I think if you look from my first game last season to my last, there was development and I felt a lot more confident and comfortable. I want to keep that progression.
‘In terms of Liverpool, they obviously play a huge amount of games every year. Game-time is never guaranteed for anyone, but it would depend on whether there’s enough opportunity within those games for me, I guess.’
