Reports emerged on Sunday night that Liverpool had rejected an £11.8m bid for midfielder Wataru Endo.
The 31-year-old only joined Anfield at the end of last summer, signing from Stuttgart for £16.8m after a failed bid to sign Moises Caicedo and Romeo Rabia, both of whom ended up joining Chelsea instead.
The Japan captain made 43 appearances in all competitions under Jurgen Klopp last season, 34 of them as a starter.
But with a new manager in place, questions are being raised over Endo’s future, with the Daily Mail’s Liverpool correspondent Lewis Steele reporting that he is currently being pursued by Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille.
Steele wrote that Liverpool “have no intention of letting the Japan captain go but other clubs are interested”.
“It is not yet known whether Roberto De Zerbi’s side will return with a second offer,” he added.
Should the French side come back with a better bid, Liverpool are likely to look to cash in on it, which very likely means signing a new defensive midfielder this summer.
Reporter David Lynch added: “A number of German clubs are also interested in the midfielder and a higher offer could tempt the Reds to sell.”
The fact that the club told reporters they were willing to sell the player clearly shows that the club is willing to allow him to leave, despite him being 30 years old and signed by Klopp and former sporting director Jorge Schumatke.
“It’s a new challenge…”
“It’s a new challenge for me. Of course, I always try to improve a lot,” Endo told reporters in Philadelphia on Sunday.
When asked if Slot’s different playstyle would help his game, he hesitated before saying, “Yeah, I think so. We want to change things up a little bit offensively.”
