Liverpool are set to sign Stuttgart midfielder Wataru Endo in a deal which will reunite him with Reds defender Nat Phillips.
Wataru Endo will find a familiar face at Liverpool with former Stuttgart teammate Nat Phillips already at the club.
Liverpool have been in desperate need of a new holding midfielder since losing both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia.
Reds fans have seen Romeo Lavia emerge as the top target, then Moises Caicedo, then watched both players pick Chelsea instead.
The last few days have been full of rumours about who Liverpool could sign but nobody could have guessed Wataru Endo as the man.
Fabrizio Romano reports that a deal worth €18million (£15.5million) has been agreed with Endo set to undergo a Liverpool medical today.
The Stuttgart captain is completely different to Lavia and Caicedo; a battle-hardened midfielder with nearly 450 professional games under his belt.
Endo turns 31 in February and will serve as an experienced anchor man for Liverpool as they attempt to build a new midfield.
The move has raised eyebrows but one Liverpool player will already know Endo very well…
Wataru Endo to reunite with Nat Phillips at Liverpool
Reds defender Nat Phillips spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Stuttgart, just like Endo did as the German club looked to gain promotion from the second tier.
Endo turned his loan move permanent in 2020 but Phillips went back to Liverpool and ended up becoming a first-team player.
Phillips and Endo played 15 games together at Stuttgart, winning seven, drawing three and losing five.
Phillips will know exactly what Endo can do and it will of course be nice for the midfielder to have a familiar face around him on Merseyside.
If you look at Endo’s Instagram, the one Liverpool player who follows Endo right now is Phillips having had that time together at Stuttgart.
That number will increase soon enough but there is a chance that Phillips ends up leaving Liverpool just as Endo comes in.
Leeds United have been linked with Phillips all summer and The Athletic’s Phil Hay reported just last week that the Whites remain keen on him despite signing Tottenham’s Joe Rodon.
Phillips will make the best decision for his own career but Endo may be hoping that Phillips sticks around at Liverpool just to help his settling-in period.
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