Celtic loanee Nat Phillips is reportedly expected to return to parent club Liverpool at the turn of the year.
Having spent a number of seasons struggling for game time under Jurgen Klopp, Phillips was made available for transfer during the summer.
Rather than a permanent exit being facilitated, the centre-back eventually linked up with Celtic on a season-long loan in a deal that appeared to suit all involved.
However, the 26-year-old has struggled to earn regular playing time under Brendan Rodgers, being restricted to four starts and four substitute outings in all competitions.
Although Phillips has featured in five Celtic victories and a 2-2 draw at home to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, seven games have passed since he has contributed to a clean sheet.
Furthermore, Phillips played the full 90 minutes as Celtic lost 2-1 at Kilmarnock on December 10 and he has not featured since that setback in the Scottish Premiership.
According to The Athletic, Celtic are happy to cut short Phillips's stay in Glasgow at the beginning of the January transfer window.
Rodgers is keen to free up space in his squad, both in terms of numbers and funds, in order to make changes to a team that is under-performing and being put under pressure by Rangers.
From Liverpool's perspective, their defensive numbers stand to be boosted at a time when Joel Matip is expected to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.
That theoretically makes it plausible that Jurgen Klopp may choose to keep Phillips as backup for the remainder of 2023-24 to bolster the club's numbers.
Phillips has a total of 29 appearances for Liverpool to his name spread over several seasons, with his last Premier League start coming in a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace on August 22.
Nevertheless, the report says that Liverpool are more likely to consider offers with Phillips unlikely to be short of loan interest in his signature.
The Merseyside giants may also be prepared to consider permanent bids with the former Stuttgart and Bournemouth loanee having just over 18 months remaining on his contract. body check tags ::
