Liverpool have underperformed by their standards in the Premier League so far this season.
Liverpool are positioned down in 12th place in the Premier League table after their first 12 fixtures. They were beaten 3-0 at home by Nottingham Forest last time out. The Reds are back in action on Wednesday night against PSV in the Champions League at Anfield as they look to return to winning ways.
Arne Slot’s side then head down to London on Sunday to play West Ham at the London Stadium. The Merseyside outfit will be able to do some transfer business in January. They will get the chance to sell some players as well if needed this winter.
Liverpool are being linked with a move for Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, as per The Mirror. Manchester United have also been mentioned as a potential suitor. The attacker is under contract in Spain until the summer of 2027 and his future is up in the air.
Vinicius, who is a Br azil international with 45 caps under his belt, is in limbo right now and may leave La Liga for a new challenge. He has been on the books of his current club since they snapped him up back in 2018 as a youngster. The forward has since made 340 appearances in all competitions and has scored 111 goals, five of which have come this season.
He rose up through the academy at Flamengo and was a regular at various different youth levels before breaking intot he first-team. The Sao Goncalo-born man found the net on 14 occasions in 69 outings before heading out the exit door. Real Madrid lured him away from South America seven years ago and he has since been a regular at the Santiago Bernabeu and has won everything.
In an attempt to persuade Real Madrid to sell Vinicius to them and to beat Manchester United to his signature, Liverpool should propose a player swap deal plus cash for his services. Wataru Endo doesn’t get much game time anymore and has fallen out of favour.
Endo, 32, was snapped up by the Reds back in 2023 to add more competition and depth to their squad. He has since played 82 matches and has chipped in with two goals. However, his opportunities have dried up over recent times and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him leave soon.
The Japan international may be someone of interest to Real Madrid. Like at Liverpool, he probably wouldn’t play much under Xabi Alonso. He would be a useful character to have in and around the squad though and his versatility would come in handy for the Spanish giants as they balance their domestic duties with Champions League football.
Endo would provide them with back-up in the middle of the park and would inject some valuable experience into their squad. He has played for the likes of Urawa Red Diamonds, Sint-Truiden and Stuttgart in the past. The Yokohama-born man has played over 500 games.
However, he would not be enough to bring Madrid to the table. Step up Alexis Mac Allister. The World Cup winner has been linked with the Spanish giants in the past and it would be no surprise if the South American had ambitions to play for one of the big two Spanish clubs in Madrid and Barcelona.
Essentially, Liverpool would be putting up two players to try and convince Madrid to send Vinicius Jr their way. With the player set to be out of contract in 2027, the Spanish giants might just have to bring down their valuation and getting two players with one starter in Mac Allister and one squad player in Endo might just do the trick.