Liverpool have £10m decision as Jurgen Klopp cannot ignore key Premier League rule

Nat Phillips has been linked with a summer departure from Liverpool.

The defender found himself down the pecking order at Anfield last season. He was fifth-choice centre-back, with Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez all preferred. As a result, Phillips was limited to just five appearances throughout the campaign.

Now aged 26, a permanent exit may be in the offing. Phillips thrived on loan at Bournemouth during the second half of the 2021-22 season while he also made 29 appearances for Stuttgart in 2019-20. Most importantly, he racked up a total of 21 outings for Jurgen Klopp’s side in 2019-20 amid a defensive crisis. Despite van Dijk, Matip and Gomez all suffering long-term injuries, the Reds qualified for the Champions League - with Phillips contributing significantly at the business end of the campaign.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the former Bolton centre-half is now ready to leave Liverpool amid interest from Leeds United. A £10 million price tag has been placed on his head.

That sum could provide Jurgen Klopp with additional funds for his recruitment drive. So far, Liverpool have only signed Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton for a fee of an initial £35 million.

Should Phillips again be on the fringes of things, it would make sense for both parties to agree to a permanent exit. Yet there is a caveat that the Reds would have to consider.

Premier League rules state that clubs are allowed no more than 25 registered players in their squad, although that can be supplemented by under-21s. The maximum number of non-homegrown players - i.e. those who have not represented either an English or Welsh club for at least three years before the age of 21 - is 17. As things stand, Liverpool currently sit at 15 so have two berths available.

The further eight members of a team’s roster must then be made up of homegrown players. Should Phillips depart, it would leave Liverpool falling short of that quota. As things stand, the Reds’ homegrown players are Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones, Caoimhin Kelleher and Sepp van den Berg now that Rhys Williams has completed a loan switch to Aberdeen.

Clubs can choose not to have eight homegrown players - but will be penalised. At present, Liverpool can only register a 23-man squad to the Premier League once the transfer window closes. Granted, Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic are notable youngsters who will be named on the under-21 list. However, with uncertainty surrounding goalkeeper Kelleher’s future, van den Berg could depart on loan yet again and there is a chance that options are trimmed further.

It’s not a secret that Klopp is interested in signing at least one more midfielder. Khephren Thruam (Nice) and Manu Kone (Borussia Monchengladbach) have all been linked and would be registered on the non-homegrown list if any were recruited.

As would Micky van de Ven, the Wolfsburg centre-back who the Reds are also said to be tracking and could well replace Phillips if interest is stepped up.

Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia is another on Liverpool’s list of targets. He’s spent three years in England, having joined Manchester City aged 16 before spending the previous campaign at the Saints. But still only aged 19, he would be eligible to be registered on the under-21 list. Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch would be another to fit that category as he was born after January 1, 2002.

Liverpool have a chance to land a significant windfall on Phillips, who arrived on a free transfer from Bolton in 2016. Klopp, however, may need to look if his squad will have sufficient depth if they’re not to meet the homegrown quota.