Wataru Endo confirms Liverpool transfer stance amid January exit links

The Japan international has only been a bit-part player since the Dutchman took over in the summer, making just four appearances in all competitions and totalling a mere 85 minutes.

Endo's only start of the 2024-25 campaign so far came in the 5-1 thumping of West Ham United in the EFL Cup, and he has only come off the bench twice in the Premier League and once in the Champions League.

The 31-year-old's lack of action has naturally led to suggestions that he could be sold as early as January, as Liverpool hope to raise funds for their own winter business and to potentially offer new-and-improved contracts to Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

French giants Marseille were believed to have had a bid of around £12m for Endo turned down by Liverpool over the summer, and the midfielder still has three years left on his contract on Merseyside.

Endo rubbishes talk of January Liverpool exit

The 31-year-old is currently away on international duty for Japan, captaining his nation to a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Thursday's World Cup 2026 qualifier, and he was quizzed on a possible exit during an interview with synchronous.jp.

Despite his status as a peripheral player, Endo affirmed that he has no intention of leaving in January and believes that it is "too early" in Slot's reign to discuss his situaton, saying: "We have a new manager and I think he wants to see every player," as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

"It is too early to judge anything. A club like Liverpool needs the depth of the squad. It needs all the players to play in all these competitions and to win titles. I have no idea what people are saying about me, but my plan is staying here. I have been doing what I should do and getting myself in shape."

Endo was signed by Jurgen Klopp in 2023 following Fabinho's exit for the Saudi Pro League, and the former Stuttgart man made 43 appearances in his debut season, winning the EFL Cup in the process.

Endo has scored two goals and provided one assist for Liverpool, but the renaissance of Ryan Gravenberch in the number six position has limited his opportunities for starts this season.

Should Liverpool consider selling Endo in January?

As crucial as Endo was to the Liverpool effort last season, the midfielder would have surely accepted that he was not a long-term solution in the number six role, having already turned 30 before joining the Reds.

Few could have predicted Gravenberch's meteoric rise to stardom under Slot, though, while Alexis Mac Allister is also thriving as part of a two-man midfield with the Dutchman, so Endo could be forgiven for wanting to head elsewhere if his situation does not change.

However, selling midfielders is the last thing that Liverpool should be thinking about in January, as if one or both of Mac Allister and Gravenberch suffer injuries, Endo and Curtis Jones will be the first ports of call.

Slot has not yet placed his faith in the young Tyler Morton - barring a few minutes in the EFL Cup - so Endo can sit tight knowing that his spot at Liverpool is safe until the summer at least, when the Reds may very well revisit the situation.

A Liverpool expert has suggested that the Reds should scour the winter market for a new midfielder rather than offloading one of their current options after Mac Allister's recent injury scare.