Now that the Cherries are back in the Premier League, it might be a decent move for them.
We’re nearing the end of the season and so, of course, the opening of the summer transfer window is nearing as well. This one isn’t so silly as some rumours, but it comes from the Express, so maybe not entirely unreliable.
Bournemouth are looking to make their loan deal with Liverpool and Nat Phillips a permanent one. The defender was loaned to the Cherries in January for six months and £1.5 million, not to mention apparently an additional £250k thanks to their return to the Premier League.
Phillips made 17 appearances for Bournemouth since joining them in January and was a key part of their ascent from the Championship league. Liverpool didn’t include a clause for a permanent deal in the loan, so obviously it’s up to negotiations – which are expected to cost an extra £8 million.
Phillips, to his credit, seemed open to the move following Bournemouth’s 1-0 win against Millwall that secured them the second place and automatic promotion spot in the Championship table.
“I want to continue playing regularly, week in, week out. Ideally in the Premier League. So we’ll see what happens in the summer,” Phillips said.
“I can’t rule anything out. But ultimately it comes down to, it’s not just me. There’s various conversations that need to be had involving Bournemouth, Liverpool and whoever.
“So up until now we’ve been concentrating on just getting the job at hand done. Now that’s done, obviously Liverpool still have a few games left and a few big, important games left in their season to play.
“But we’ll see what happens in the summer. I’ve enjoyed my time so much. It’s nice, one of the main reasons I came here was because we had that objective of promotion and something to play towards and it’s a great feeling to finish the season and achieve that.
“It’s been brilliant. I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s been a real challenge, don’t get me wrong and this division is relentless. But I’ve enjoyed that challenge and I’ve enjoyed playing regular football.”
With the settling in of Konaté and the successful rotation of the season, keeping Nat at Liverpool – while nice – might be a little surplus and he might be better off with a team like Bournemouth.
