Fee revealed as Liverpool close in on Japanese international Wataru Endō

Liverpool’s shock pending move for Japanese international and VfB Stuttgart stalwart midfielder Wataru Endō now has a price attached as the Reds look to quickly secure valuable central reinforcements in the wake of consistent transfer frustration this summer.

Per The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart stands to receive a fee in the region of €19m (£16m) for the 30-year-old standout midfielder via sources in Germany, with Endō seen as a very credible depth option to add into the senior ranks under Jürgen Klopp in the aftermath of Liverpool’s summer frustration.

The Reds saw both Moisés Caicedo and Romeo Lavia head off to Stamford Bridge despite having bids accepted for the pair, with the club being left to pick up the pieces regarding the necessary remaining moves to retool the midfield.

Despite Endō very credible and underrated profile, it is thought that Liverpool still has further business left in the tank this summer as links to Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucouré, Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch, Aston Villa’s Boubacar Kamara, and Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat persist.

Having already secured moves for Hungarian star Dominik Szoboszlai and Argentine World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool are still yet to bring in replacements in the 6 role after the departure of both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson as the pair joined the mass summer exodus to the Roshn Saudi League.

But during the club’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea to open the 2023-24 Premier League campaign, it remained painfully clear that Klopp’s side was still in desperate need of a deep-sitting central player in order to allow for both Szoboszlai and Mac Allister to really effect play further forward.

Per an earlier report from 101 colleague Ben Browning, Endō's profile stacks up well with what Liverpool needs this summer. Despite being 30 years old and maybe only able to give the club two solid seasons, “Endō is excellent at winning the ball back for his side, ranking in the top 5% for both winning aerial duels and clearances as per FBRef.”

Should this deal go ahead, there remains plenty of cash available for Liverpool to chase down one more central addition at the very least.

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