Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has revealed that his Elland Road club must buy centre-backs this summer, despite interest in Liverpool outcast Nat Phillips.
Since taking over as manager of Leeds following their relegation to the Championship, Farke has supervised a substantial rebuild. The Whites have allowed a slew of players to leave West Yorkshire despite having no Premier League football to offer. However, their departures have limited the German’s alternatives.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Leeds have investigated the possibility of signing Phillips, whose future at Liverpool is uncertain. This summer, Feyenoord, the 2022/23 Eredivisie winners, are also interested in signing the 26-year-old. However, no team has yet demonstrated a readiness to pay the Reds’ asking price.
Leeds had already spoken to Phillips’ agency about his transfer.
Liverpool want £10m to sell Phillips, with the Leeds transfer target under contract at Anfield until June 2025. Their valuation has so far priced the Bolton-born enforcer out of any move. Phillips is open to leaving Liverpool this summer, per the Daily Mail, if the Reds agree a deal.
Elland Road chiefs are aware of what it will take Leeds to secure Phillips’ transfer having held talks with the Liverpool outcast’s agent, per the Yorkshire Evening Post. The Whites spoke to his representative on the phone in June, shortly before naming Farke as their new manager.
But the cost of living in Liverpool has kept Phillips at the AXA Training Centre for the time being.Phillips is not in Jurgen Klopp’s plans after failing to make the pre-season tour team. He also only appeared in five games for a total of 232 minutes during the 2022/23 season.
What has Farke said about transfers involving the Liverpool outcast?
Phillips could be retained by Leeds under Farke, who has declared that the Elland Road club must secure transfers in order to challenge for promotion from the Championship.
“It’s always about what wishes and what is realistic to do,” he said, via quotes by Leeds Live. “So, I think we have to have to say 100% we need many, many positions. We can’t rely, if you want to be [an] ambitious club, on just Ethan Ampadu in the centre of the park.”
“We definitely need additions, especially at the center-back position,” Farke remarked. It’s going to be a long season. I know the Championship is the toughest league in the world, and we only have three center-halves at the moment. So we need to do something.”
Only Ethan Ampadu joined Leeds this summer after leaving Chelsea for £7 million, which was then increased to £10 million. Rodrigo, Brenden Aaronson, Marc Roca, Robin Koch, Tyler Roberts, Joel Robles, Rasmus Kristensen, Adam Forshaw, and Weston McKennie are among those who have already left Elland Road.
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