Liverpool’s midfield rebuild is set to continue as Fabinho appears to be closing in on a move to Saudi Arabia.
The Brazilian midfielder has agreed personal terms on a move to the Gulf, and after a £40m bid from Al-Ittihad, the 29-year-old could be on the move.
Of course, if Fabinho leaves Anfield, Liverpool will have to sign a replacement, and according to The Athletic, the Reds have drawn up a list of potential targets.
Amongst those targets is a player from one of their biggest rivals.
Indeed, according to The Athletic, Liverpool have Kalvin Phillips on their shortlist of potential Fabinho replacements.
This is very interesting to say the least.
Phillips has shown in the past for Leeds and at international level that he’s a more than capable midfielder, but to say the last 12 months have been a struggle for the Yorkshire Pirlo would be an understatement.
Phillips has barely gotten a game since going to Manchester City, while his own manager has questioned him at times, describing him as overweight and leaving him on the bench for a number of key games throughout the season.
Despite his recent struggles, Phillips is still a top player, and Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, has even called him ‘brilliant’ in the past.
It’s fair to say that Phillips may be viewed as surplus to requirements at the Etihad, and it appears as though Liverpool sense an opportunity here.
Of course, just one year on from his £42m move from Leeds, City may not be too keen to let go of the midfielder just yet. After all, he’s still settling in at City, while Pep Guardiola probably wouldn’t be too thrilled about the idea of strengthening one of his closest rivals.
This is certainly an intriguing situation and it’s definitely one to keep an eye on as Fabinho edges closer to a Liverpool exit.
