Liverpool lay groundwork for £100m deal to replace Wataru Endo | OneFootball

Liverpool have laid down the groundwork for a £100m transfer. This one will ultimately replace Wataru Endo in the squad.

What a signing Wataru Endo was. Liverpool essentially grabbed him as a last resort once deals for preferred defensive midfielders collapsed and yet he's gone on to play a significant role in their success.

Moises Caicedo was the initial target and one Liverpool were ready to pay over £100m for. He picked Chelsea, however, forcing the Reds to look elsewhere.

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They settled on Endo, who left Stuttgart for around £17m. He would eventually establish himself as a brilliant defensive player under Jurgen Klopp and then as a solid bench option for Arne Slot as Liverpool won the Premier League.

But all good things do come to and end. Endo will turn 33 in January and will have just one year left on his contract when this season finishes.

Liverpool do have to think about replacing his spot in the squad and we don't imagine it'll be like-for-like. Instead, the Reds will move for a major signing to replace Endo - someone who is going to compete for a first-XI role, rather than as a defensive option from the bench.

They've already laid the groundwork.

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Liverpool lay their groundwork

Liverpool spent 2025 rebuilding their defence and their attack. Now, the defence bit does still need some work as Marc Guehi's transfer collapsed at the last minute.

The Reds must find a way to replace the probably-leaving Ibrahima Konaté, whose contract expires next summer. Hopefully, they do that by re-signing Konaté, though.

But it all means that the midfield is the next area in need of refreshing. Liverpool have highlighted that by not touching it at all this summer (or last summer after Martin Zubimendi opted not to move), leaving any transfer budget to go on the middle of the park.

Player contracts, however, also show how this was the plan. Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister all have deals expiring in 2028.

In other words, 2026 is the year Liverpool would try to sell them if they don't extend for longer. Wait a year and their values will absolutely plummet.

Curtis Jones and Endo, the other two midfielders, have deals expiring in 2027. So again, their futures will need sorting next summer at the latest.

This is Liverpool's opportunity to rebuild and it appears they'll take it. TeamTalk are among those claiming a £100m deal for Carlos Baleba is wanted - exactly the kind of midfielder they should be looking at.

We imagine this is the plan to replace Endo, then. Liverpool will want to keep Szoboszlai, Mac Allister and Gravenberch, while Jones is incredibly valuable as a homegrown player.

Endo is the expendable one and while plans certainly do change, Baleba would take over as the prime defensive option next summer. We'll see how things play out but the groundwork has certainly been laid for a major transfer next summer.