West Ham to push through clever Liverpool raid despite injury setback
West Ham remain keen on striking a deal for Liverpool defender Nat Phillips despite an injury setback for the Englishman, as per a report.
Phillips came through the ranks at Bolton before joining Liverpool U23s in August 2016. The centre-back spent a season on loan with Stuttgart prior to his big break for the Reds in 2020-21.
Injuries to first-team stars Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip saw him thrust into the side along with Rhys Williams and loanee Ozan Kabak.
Phillips put in some sturdy performances as Liverpool finished third in the Premier League and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. His no-nonsense style also saw him win over plenty of the club’s fans.
van Dijk and Matip are now back in action, while the summer signing of Ibrahima Konate has seen Phillips fall down the pecking order.
As such, a January exit is on the cards. Newcastle and Burnley are potential suitors, but it is West Ham who are the frontrunners.
Injuries to Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna mean they desperately need reinforcements.
The Evening Standard provide an update on West Ham’s pursuit of Phillips. They write that the Irons are preparing to push ahead with a transfer, even though the star is suffering with a fractured cheekbone.
He picked up the problem during the 2-1 away victory over AC Milan in Europe. Liverpool believe the player should return by mid January, allowing a deal with West Ham to go ahead before the transfer deadline.
Reports earlier this week suggest two factors must be met by West Ham before a move can occur. The first is that they come in with a permanent offer, rather than a loan.
The second is that David Moyes’ side meet Liverpool’s £10m asking price.
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West Ham blow in Simeone pursuit
Meanwhile, West Ham and Everton are set to be given a blow in their pursuit of Giovanni Simeone.
The son of Atletico boss Diego, 26-year-old Simeone is proving to be a hit in Serie A. He is on 12 goals from 16 league appearances for Hellas Verona.
His spell at the Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium is only temporary though as he is on loan from Cagliari.
Simeone managed just six minutes for his parent club in August before being sent out to gain experience at Verona.
TEAMtalk understands Simeone will not be able to join West Ham or Everton until the summer, as he has already played for two teams this campaign.
This will disappoint West Ham boss Moyes as he needs backup for Michail Antonio in attack. FC Basel’s Arthur Cabral is one alternative.
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