Liverpool recently declined a €14m (£11.8m) offer from Marseille for midfielder Wataru Endo. James Pearce from The Athletic reported that Liverpool’s decision was influenced by three main factors: the timing of the bid, the scarcity of suitable replacement options, and the current needs of the squad under new head coach Arne Slot.
The timing of Marseille’s offer was particularly inconvenient for Liverpool, as they are in the midst of pre-season preparations and lack a ready substitute for Endo. Moreover, with the transfer market offering few viable candidates for the defensive midfield role, Liverpool’s decision-makers deemed it too risky to let Endo go at this point.
Although Endo’s performance in a recent friendly against Real Betis was underwhelming, it would be imprudent for Liverpool to sell him without securing a new defensive midfielder first. The club’s focus remains on strengthening that position, given the upcoming competition and demanding schedule.
Endo, who was acquired from Stuttgart for £16m last August after missing out on other targets, has shown to be a dependable player in midfield.
