Why Liverpool rejected Wataru Endo transfer bid as $220m Chelsea deals set standard

A potential exit for Wataru Endo this summer would leave Liverpool needing to have a back-up plan in its holding midfield department but the 31-year-old former Stuttgart ace was never likely to be a long-term solution.

Endo was signed last summer for a relatively modest fee of around $21m (£16m/€19m). Tied down to a four-year contract, he was more than a stop-gap but also not a world-class number six that Liverpool's midfield could be built around for a decade.

A year on, with Arne Slot having now taken over from Jurgen Klopp , quite how the midfield pecking order looks remains to be seen. Endo started on the bench in the 1-0 behind-closed-doors defeat against Preston North End but came into the side against Real Betis .

READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Iris Law smitten as Liverpool ace snapped on romantic Barbados holiday
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Anthony Gordon plan, Brais Mendez move, Wataru Endo replacement

It would be fair to say he didn't perform at his best on that occasion, but then reading too much into one pre-season friendly would not be sensible. There is only so much that you can learn from matches like those.

Equally, however, it would be fair to suggest that Liverpool will have to find an upgrade on Endo sooner rather than later. That will be the case whether he stays or goes this summer because of his age.

Stefan Bajcetic , now back from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, could become that, but the Reds will have to be careful with him given he has spent so long out. Trey Nyoni , meanwhile, has huge potential but he is only 17 — pre-season appearances might be the only senior action he gets in 2024, as well as he played in Pittsburgh and as well as he has been performing in training.

According to The Athletic , part of the rationale for turning down the opening bid for Endo is that the number six market is not exactly flooded with options to replace him. That is, after all, why he was bought in the first place.

Chelsea spent a combined $222m (£173m/€205m) to sign Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia last summer, beating Liverpool to the duo. Neither, though, has proven value for money yet and the same can be said of Enzo Fernandez, who cost another $137m (£107m/€127m) to snap up from Benfica six months prior to that.

If Liverpool could sign a long-term fix at the base of Slot's midfield to play alongside Alexis Mac Allister , it would make sense to let Endo move on. As was the case a year ago, however, the reality is that there are no obvious upgrades out there that are available and perfectly fit the profile.