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Liverpool are open to the sale of fan favourite Nathaniel Phillips to West Ham, though will stand firm on two aspects of a deal, per a report.

The burly centre-half earned a place in Liverpool fans’ hearts for his manful displays last season. The Reds were in the midst of an unprecedented injury crisis that saw Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all sidelined. Jordan Henderson and Fabinho deputised on occasion, though they too visited the treatment table.

Phillips stepped up to the plate, and alongside loanee Ozan Kabak then Rhys Williams, helped stabilise Liverpool’s season as they powered their way to third spot.

However, Phillips has been made to take a back seat this time around. The injured players have returned and new signing Ibrahima Konate has slotted in ahead of Phillips in the pecking order.

As such, talks of a Phillips exit has begun to gather steam.

West Ham have drawn the strongest links with their need at centre-half growing by the week. Angelo Ogbonna is out for the season after suffering an ACL injury. Kurt Zouma, meanwhile, is out of action for up to three months with a hamstring problem.

Phillips recently suffered a cheekbone injury during Liverpool’s clash with AC Milan. Though Klopp stated that won’t scupper his chances of securing a January move.

Now, the Sun have provided an update on the state of play. They confirm Liverpool are open to moving Phillips on, but on two conditions.

Firstly they will only sanction a permanent deal – not a loan. A loan deal may have been to West Ham’s benefit given their injured stars will eventually return.

Secondly, the fee must reportedly total £10m when all is said and done. That would suggest a winter window deal could be paid in instalments.

Despite those two demands, David Moyes’ side may still play ball. It’s noted their interest in Burnley’s James Tarkowski is waning with the Clarets seeking a far higher fee than what Phillips will command.

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Liverpool ready to sanction baffling sale?

Meanwhile, Liverpool are reportedly willing to sanction Divock Origi’s sale in January – with a move to Serie A seemingly just days away.

Italian website Tuttomercato, via the BBC are convinced his days at Anfield could soon be over. They state both AC Milan and Atalanta are battling it out over a January deal for the Belgian.

They claim Milan are seeking a replacement for the ageing Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Origi fits the bill. It’s the same story with Atalanta, who are preparing for the exit of Colombian hot-shot Luis Muriel.

The article claims neither will reportedly have trouble matching Liverpool’s asking price, though Origi’s wage demands may prove a stumbling block. And if that can be overcome, they feel a move will go through early in January.

However, the whole scenario just doesn’t add up. Perhaps his summer sale could be an option, but the Reds can ill-afford to lose Origi now, especially given the impending absences of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to AFCON.

READ MORE: Klopp ‘insists’ Liverpool sign £68m forward as Real Madrid prepare to fight

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