Pep Lijnders confirms loan "interest" in Calvin Ramsay, Nat Phillips

The defensive duo returned to Anfield earlier in the January transfer window following underwhelming stints elsewhere, with Phillips turning out for Celtic while Ramsay plied his trade with Preston North End.

Phillips pulled on the Celtic jersey eight times in the first half of the 2023-24 campaign, but he only made the starting lineup on three occasions in the Scottish Premiership and once in the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Ramsay was restricted to just two appearances for Preston North End during his time in the Championship, having been plagued by knee surgery and then a nasty COVID-19 infection.

Despite Liverpool's well-documented defensive injury crisis, which has seen Jurgen Klopp lose Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kostas Tsimikas, neither man has made a matchday squad since coming back to Merseyside and are not in the Reds' immediate plans.

As a result, Liverpool are keen to find new stomping grounds for Ramsay and Phillips before the January transfer window closes, as the pair bid to consign their previous unsuccessful loans to history.

Speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final second leg with Fulham, Lijnders confirmed that Ramsay and Phillips have attracted potential suitors, although no deal has been struck yet.

"Him and Nat [Phillips], good examples. There's interest - [which] is good. We have to find - with the agent, with himself, with the clubs - the right decision for the player. He needs to have game time, needs to play, have a lot of success," Lijnders told the media.

"That's why I like the move of Fabio [Carvalho], for example. He plays a lot, is straight away decisive - together with Tyler [Morton]. Matt Newberry, our head of loans, he's full of business this winter. He needs a holiday after this for sure!

"These boys all have potential, otherwise they would not be with us. But they need as well the right pathway. What you said, a good loan can do wonders."

Leeds United and Southampton are both said to be interested in a deal for Ramsay, who made two senior appearances for Liverpool in the 2022-23 season following his £4.4m arrival from Aberdeen.

Meanwhile, Phillips has supposedly also attracted glances from the Whites, but Daniel Farke's men will face competition from Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers for the 26-year-old, who has been with Liverpool since 2016.

The ex-Bolton Wanderers youngster has scored one goal and set up another in 29 first-team games for the Reds, making regular Premier League appearances in the second half of the 2020-21 season due to injuries to Matip, Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk.

Phillips's influence has waned since that COVID-affected season, though, and a permanent exit could soon be on the cards given that he is only under contract with the Premier League leaders for another 18 months.

Liverpool sent the recently-recalled James Balagizi out on loan to Kilmarnock on Wednesday, while Fabio Carvalho, Rhys Williams, Marcelo Pitaluga, Vitezslav Jaros and Luke Chambers have also secured temporary exits for the second half of the campaign.