Liverpool looks to be closing in on its third signing of the summer, but the work is still far from done.
Having missed out on both Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia in recent days, the Reds have now turned their attention to Stuttgart midfielder Wataru Endo, and a deal looks as though it could be imminent.
According to The Athletic, the Japan international is undergoing his medical today, with a deal in the region of $20m (£16m/€19m) set to be completed.
At 30 though, Endo won’t be a long-term option for Liverpool, and Jürgen Klopp will have to look for at least one other body in midfield before the end of the transfer window, which is due to shut in just over two weeks.
And ahead of that September 1 deadline, the Reds have been sent a message regarding a potential target, while another possibility looks to have dropped out of the running for the time being.
Here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds today.
Cheick Doucouré (Crystal Palace)
Crystal Palace will ‘fight hard’ to fend off interest from Liverpool in Cheick Doucouré, according to the Evening Standard.
With Endo seemingly on his way to Anfield, the Reds will ideally need a younger option to arrive alongside him before the end of the window. Paris Saint-Germain is also said to be keeping tabs on Doucouré, although Liverpool is expected to push the hardest for the 23-year-old, who is valued at around $89m (£70m/€82m) by Palace.
Speaking about the possibility of receiving offers for his players before the end of the window, Palace chairman Steve Parish told Sky Sports News: “If people can make offers for your players, there’s nothing you can do about that, and we will look at those offers in light of what’s best for the club.
“Right now, it’s very, very close to the end of the window. It would have to be something unbelievable for us to even consider doing something, and we would also have to have a ready-made replacement that we think we could go and get.”
