Nat Phillips had a real chance to spend this season in Europe as Benfica made a serious approach for him in the summer, The Athletic's James Pearce reports.
The Portuguese side tried to sign the centre-back on loan 24 hours before the transfer deadline.
Earlier in the summer, Liverpool would've been willing to sell him for around £12million.
However, at that point, Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip had already picked up injuries, so Jurgen Klopp needed Phillips as cover - which is why he ended up blocking the deal.
It's reported that Phillips has reacted as a professional, even though being taken off the market was hard to take for him: the 25-year-old wants to play more regularly than he does at Anfield.
This season, Phillips featured in one Premier League game, playing over 60 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace.
