Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers plans to raid Liverpool for Wataru Endo, with a journalist revealing the names of four other clubs that are keen on a summer deal for the Japan international midfielder.
Endo has been on the books of Liverpool since the summer of 2023 when he joined from VfB Stuttgart. The Merseyside club paid £16.2 million in transfer fees for the midfielder, with then Reds manager Jurgen Klopp describing him as “a really good player” who is a “machine on the pitch” and has a “sensational attitude”.
The Japanese star followed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool as the Reds overhauled their midfield department following the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.
While Mac Allister and Szoboszlai have gone on to establish themselves as regulars in the Liverpool starting line-up, Endo has been a squad player under head coach Arne Slot this season.
The 32-year-old started 20 Premier League games last season under Klopp, but so far this campaign, the midfielder has not made a single start in the league and played just 140 minutes in the Champions League before Liverpool got knocked out.
Endo is under contract at Liverpool until the summer of 2027, but there is a chance that he could leave Anfield at the end of the season.
According to journalist Ekren Konur on X, Celtic are considering a move for Endo in the summer transfer window.
Celtic manager Rodgers reportedly wants to strengthen his midfield department, and Endo is a player that the former Liverpool boss would like to have in his team.
The Bhoys are at the top of the Scottish Premiership table at the moment, with Old Firm rivals Rangers 13 points behind them in second place.
Celtic have already won the Scottish League Cup this season and have also progressed to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.
READ MORE🔴 >Mo Salah breaks down in tears as major new transfer link ignites after Liverpool exit
Celtic face competition for Wataru Endo
The problem that Celtic face is that they are not the only club that have taken a shine to Endo.
Serie A giants AC Milan are interested in the Liverpool star too, and are so Wolves, Fulham and Ipswich Town.
Konur wrote on X: AC Milan, Celtic, Fulham, Wolverhampton and Ipswich are considering the transfer of Liverpool’s Japanese player Wataru Endo to strengthen their midfield.”
This is not the first time this month that a journalist has claimed that Endo could leave Liverpool.
Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg reported on March 11 that Endo is one of five players Liverpool are planning to offload.
Latest Liverpool news: Federico Chiesa exit, Ferran Torres interest
One of the players that Liverpool are ready to get rid of in the summer transfer window is Federico Chiesa.
Chiesa has had injury problems during his time at Liverpool so far and has failed to make a huge impact at Anfield.
Signed from Juventus in the summer of 2024, the Italy international winger also faces stiff competition to play week in and week out in Liverpool’s starting line-up.
Napoli are reportedly interested in a summer deal for Chiesa, with former Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte said to be a huge fan.
The Reds themselves are ready to offload Chiesa on a loan deal, but the Italian media has claimed that the winger will have to take a pay-cut if he is to return to Serie A.
Liverpool have also been linked with a move for Barcelona forward Ferran Torres.
The Spanish media has revealed that the Premier League leaders will intensify their chase for the Spain international forward.
Barcelona are said to value the former Manchester City forward at around €40m (£33.4m / $43.5m).
Meanwhile, former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore believes that Darwin Nunez’s days at Anfield are numbered.
Collymore said: “Darwin Nunez arrived at Liverpool as a very confident player, and now he looks too robotic – and that is probably because of the pressure that he is under at Anfield, which is a complete kettle of fish compared to what he experienced at Benfica.
“He just does not look confident, composed or relaxed, even if his goal output is not as bad as many people make it out to be.
“The longer that this pressure remains, the harder it will become for him, and it has already started to affect his decision-making on the pitch, and especially in front of goal.
“Nunez has definitely been affected by his Liverpool experience, and I think that he should leave – simply put, he is not up to the standards needed at Liverpool, which can be very unforgiving.”
POLL: Who was Liverpool’s best signing of the Jurgen Klopp era?