According to Football Insider, Liverpool manager Arne Slot has his sights on landing a new defensive midfielder in January after offloading Wataru Endo.
The Merseyside heavyweights have had a fantastic start to the campaign under their new head coach. The Reds have won 8 of their opening 9 games of the season and recently beat Bologna by 2 goals.
Endo was an unused substitute yet again and Football Insider claim that Slot has given the green light to offload him in January in order to sign a young replacement to compete with Ryan Gravenberch.
Endo has played only 2 minutes of regular time in the Premier League and Champions League this campaign. Gravenberch has been ever-present for Liverpool in the no.6 role with stand-out performances.
The Dutch international may not be displaced from the starting line-up anytime soon, but Slot wants the Liverpool board to offload Endo this winter to part-fund the capture of a top-class alternative.
Possible
Liverpool were eager to land the signature of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in the last transfer window. However, the Spaniard decided to stay put with the La Liga outfit instead of moving on.
The Anfield giants opted against pursuing an alternative target and it has proved a blessing in disguise with Gravenberch stepping up to become an integral part of the starting plans under Slot this season.
The ex-Ajax graduate has hardly put a foot wrong in the first 2 months of the campaign, but Slot may want a solid competitor. He does not appear to fancy Endo, who was a surprise signing from Stuttgart last year.
Liverpool spent £16 million to land the Japanese star and they may struggle to recoup the entire fee. Nonetheless, a £10 million sale would be handy for the Reds as they look for a young and quality deputy for Gravenberch.
With Gravenberch doing so well this season, Slot may want a young and upcoming talent who is prepared to wait for his opportunities rather than someone, who could demand regular playing time from the off.
