Japanese midfielder Endo Wataru (32), who is playing for Liverpool in the English Premier League, is facing the prospect of being released.

The British media outlet TeamTalk reported on the 1st (Korean time) that “Liverpool will allow the transfer of Japanese midfielder Endo. Eintracht Frankfurt is the first club to show interest in acquiring him.”

Endo is contracted with Liverpool until June 2027.

Before this season, manager Arne Slot took over and initiated a midfield restructuring. Slot prefers a two-midfielder setup whether in possession or out of possession, with Dominik Szoboszlai dropping back to contribute defensively as one of three when needed. This is in stark contrast to the previous approach of former manager Jürgen Klopp, which relied on three midfielders.

Slot prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation when defending and utilizes Dominik Szoboszlai as a key component in the three-person midfield.

Slot tends to favor technically proficient players. Types like Jordan Henderson, James Milner, and Georginio Wijnaldum, who rely on physicality and work rate, have been excluded from Slot's plans. The same applies to Endo. Although he is a dedicated defensive midfielder, it seems he has not earned Slot's trust in the technical aspects of ball handling.

In fact, Endo has seen a significant decrease in playing time this season.

Last summer, Liverpool aimed to sign Martin Ødegaard as their top target but failed. This summer, they plan to reorganize their midfield structure.

Amid these circumstances, Endo's future has become uncertain. The German media outlet Bild noted that “Liverpool is prepared to part ways with Endo this summer.”

Sky Germany conveyed that “Frankfurt has shown interest in acquiring Endo, and actual contact has taken place.”

Florian Plettenberg of Sky Germany reported that “Frankfurt considers Endo as one of their summer transfer candidates, although he is not a priority, and the high transfer fee could be a variable.”

Liverpool paid around £16 million (approximately 30.4 billion won) when they signed Endo from Stuttgart in the summer of 2023. They previously rejected an offer of £11.8 million (approximately 22.4 billion won) from Marseille that summer, indicating they are likely to maintain a high transfer fee.

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