West Brom on the verge of completing Liverpool transfer raid | OneFootball

West Brom are closing in on a permanent deal for Liverpool defender Nat Phillips

West Bromwich Albion are closing in on signing Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips.

New manager Ryan Mason is preparing to embark on his debut season as a head coach, and is aiming to reinforce his squad accordingly after Albion missed out on the play-offs in 2024-25.

The Baggies finished ninth in the Championship last term and will be desperate to put up a stronger promotion push under their new boss next year.

West Brom set to land Nat Phillips transfer deal

Phillips spent last season on loan at Derby County, and is set for a Championship return with the Baggies.

According to journalist John Percy via X, West Brom are close to signing the Liverpool defender on a permanent deal.

The 28-year-old has one year left on his contract at Anfield, which means that Mason and the transfer team at The Hawthorns will need to fork out a transfer fee for his services.

Percy also states that the club are working on other signings alongside Phillips, ahead of their return for pre-season.

The Athletic had gone on record earlier in the window to say that Albion were "strongly interested" in the centre-half and now look to have acted upon that.

Despite enjoying a strong season at Pride Park last year, the Rams weren’t able to match the defender’s wage demands and therefore couldn’t compete for his permanent signature, as per as per Derbyshire Live.

Phillips made 32 league appearances and scored a crucial goal against Hull City late on in the 2024/25 Championship campaign to ensure Derby’s survival.

These performances clearly haven’t gone unnoticed, and now West Brom look set to acquire his services.

Nat Phillips will be a smart addition for West Brom and Ryan Mason

The Baggies ended last season on a whimper, losing five out of their last eight games to miss out on the play-offs.

With Semi Ajayi departing the Hawthorns for Hull City, only Kyle Bartley and Torbjorn Heggem remain from last season’s crop of central defenders.

Therefore, signing Phillips looks to be a sensible move for West Brom.

His spell at Derby was extremely encouraging after lacklustre stints at Cardiff City and Celtic and in a sense, revitalised his career with the Rams.

If he can replicate his performances from the end of last term at the Hawthorns, Mason and Co. have a very capable operator in their possession.