Richard Hughes only began his term as Liverpool’s new sporting director on Saturday, but he’s already hard at work on the prowl for additions to Arne Slot’s squad.
According to Football Insider, the newly-installed duo are plotting to sign a defensive midfielder during the summer transfer window, which opens on 14 June, with that being regarded as one of the main priorities between now and the end of August.
A ‘well-placed source’ informed the outlet that Wataru Endo, who arrived from Stuttgart 10 months ago, was perceived as a mere stopgap by Anfield chiefs, with plans afoot to bring in a marquee younger alternative.
While the acquisition of Endo may have seemed surprising at the time after weeks of vainly pursuing Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo, it turned out to be £16m well spent by Liverpool.
The Japan captain made 43 appearances under Jurgen Klopp last season, with his tally of 2,758 minutes the 10th-most of any player at Anfield in 2023/24 (Transfermarkt), and he was magnificent for much of the campaign before his performance levels dipped in tandem with the team as a whole from April onwards.
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He turned 31 in February, so it’s understandable that Hughes may be looking to bring in a younger option for the number 6 role, someone to be the main man in that position as the ex-Stuttgart enforcer becomes more of a squad player.
To that effect, we’ve seen Liverpool linked with the likes of Assan Ouedraogo (Schalke 04), Alan Varela (Porto) and Ederson (Atalanta) in recent weeks, so that area of the pitch does indeed seem to be a priority for the Reds’ powerbrokers.
Following last summer’s midfield overhaul, incoming transfer activity this year is likely to be spread more evenly throughout the various positions in the squad, but we wouldn’t rule out the prospect of a CDM aged 25 or under coming in to bolster Slot’s options in the next few months.