Liverpool transfer news: Third summer sale confirmed as 28-year-old leaves in £3m deal

Liverpool have confirmed that defender Nat Phillips has joined Championship outfit West Bromwich Albion on a permanent deal.

The 28-year-old was reported to have undergone a medical with the Baggies earlier on Monday, and Liverpool are expected to receive around £3m for his sale.

Phillips was briefly a stalwart of the Liverpool backline in the 2020-21 season, enjoying a run of Premier League starts while Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all recovered from injuries.

Together with Rhys Williams, Phillips played a fundamental role in Liverpool's successful push for Champions League football, but he only made a handful of Reds appearances in the years that followed.

After a productive loan spell at Derby County last season, Phillips has now made the permanent switch to the second tier, signing a three-year deal at The Hawthorns until 2028.

Phillips talks up "rhythm" as defender makes Liverpool exit

All the best in your new chapter, Nat ? pic.twitter.com/XwTHn7T6pv

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 23, 2025

Speaking to wba.co.uk after becoming Ryan Mason's first signing of the summer, Phillips said: "A big factor was that this is obviously a big club with high aspirations – and I’d say those aspirations align with mine.

"I think everyone at the club and involved would like to see it competing for promotion and pushing for Premier League football – and that’s the same as me. I’m really looking forward to it and as soon as I found out about the interest I just wanted to get here and get going. 

“Throughout my career I’ve always wanted to develop a rhythm and continue to play week in, week out. I feel like I did that in the second half of last season, and I want to continue that rhythm and try to take that into the season coming up. 

“I’ve had a number of loans over the past few years and it’ll be really nice for me and my family to go somewhere and know we’re staying there to develop a relationship with the club and the fans.”

Phillips's switch to The Hawthorns brings an end to his nine-year stay at Liverpool, where he made 29 appearances, scored one goal and set up one more, and won two trophies in the 2019-20 Premier League and 2021-22 EFL Cup.

The 28-year-old was also loaned out to Celtic, Cardiff City, Bournemouth and Stuttgart while representing the Reds, whom he joined from Bolton Wanderers in 2016.

Which 10 players could follow Phillips out of Liverpool?

Phillips has become the third Liverpool player to seal a permanent exit this summer alongside Caoimhin Kelleher and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and as many as 10 could follow in the coming weeks, including Bayer Leverkusen-bound Jarell Quansah.

Phillips's regular centre-back partner from 2020-21 - Williams - is another candidate for the chop, as are fringe midfielders Tyler Morton and Wataru Endo.

With Milos Kerkez's arrival potentially being announced on Tuesday, Atletico Madrid-linked Andrew Robertson could also leave after years of service, and a few high-profile exits may be sanctioned at the other end of the field.

Federico Chiesa, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott should all have opportunities to leave this summer, and Liverpool could potentially bank an astronomical £232m through axing unwanted players.

Written by
Ben Knapton