Liverpool respond as Marseille make £11.8m bid for Wataru Endo – report
Liverpool have rejected an £11.8million offer for midfielder Wataru Endo from Marseille, according to The Athletic.
Writing on their website (28 July), the online outlet reported that Marseille could return with a higher bid with Endo also attracting interest from Bundesliga sides.
The 31-year-old joined the Reds from Stuttgart last summer for £16m and went on to feature 43 times across all competitions, and he is currently with the squad in the USA for the pre-season tour.
Liverpool will hold on to Endo due to lack of opportunities
Jurgen Klopp surprised the football world when he gave the green light to sign Endo, who was 30-years-old at the time.
His signing was met with an underwhelming response from the fan base given the club’s public pursuit of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who both ended up at Chelsea.
Endo proved to be a capable stop-gap option at the heart of the midfield but less than 12 months after arriving at Anfield could be on his way out.
Liverpool are not actively pursuing a sale due to the lack of market opportunities for a defensive midfielder currently available and the Japan international would need to be replaced if he left the club.
Arne Slot is not blessed with many options at defensive midfielder Stefan Bajcetic has returned from injury to compete with Endo, and Alexis Mac Allister can fill in when needed but is more effective further up the pitch.
The Reds are the only Premier League side yet to make a signing this summer and that will change as we approach August.
Liverpool need to recruit in several key positions this summer, including defensive midfield, but selling Endo would only further weaken the ranks of what is already a thin position in terms of personnel.
It remains to be seen whether Roberto de Zerbi’s side returns with an improved offer, or if any other interested sides come to the table but to sell Endo for less than he was purchased for, despite his age and with no identified replacement through the door, would be a foolish move for Liverpool.
In other Liverpool news, Southampton eye loan deal for Liverpool teenager Ben Doak.
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