Liverpool are not expected to sell Tyler Morton or Wataru Endo in the January transfer window despite neither midfielder holding down a starting role.
Arne Slot has settled on a core group of four regular starting midfielders which, so far, even Harvey Elliott has struggled to break into.
Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones have shared the minutes in the Premier League and Champions League, with squad options reserved for the Carabao Cup.
Chief among those are academy graduate Morton and the fourth-oldest player in the squad Endo, who have clocked just 162 and 261 minutes on the pitch respectively.
Despite this, and widespread summer interest, Liverpool are not planning on allowing either player to leave in January.
That is according to two well-placed Merseyside journalists, with The Athletic‘s James Pearce reporting on Morton and David Lynch, whose work can now be found on Substack, providing an update on Endo.
Pearce has explained that Liverpool will not allow Morton to leave on loan, and with clubs unwilling to meet their £20 million price tag in the summer “unless a midfielder is added, that stance is likely to remain unchanged.”
Meanwhile, Lynch reported that the Reds will not move Endo on mid-season but could consider his position again at the end of the season.
Marseille saw an £11.8 million bid for Endo rejected in July and no further developments were made, while a host of clubs around Europe were credited with an interest in Morton but no permanent bid materialised.
Bayer Leverkusen were considered closest to signing the 22-year-old but with Liverpool unwilling to loan him out again he stayed put.
Pearce claims that Morton’s “attitude and application in training have been second to none,” with Slot and his staff clearly impressed with his commitment to the cause.
With Liverpool into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup and expected to go deep in the FA Cup too – having drawn League Two relegation candidates Accrington Stanley in the third round – there will be more opportunities in 2025.
It stands to reason that the Reds would not be open to weakening their squad in January, despite the peripheral roles both Endo and in particular Morton play.
Both players will likely accept that stance, too, with Liverpool in a remarkable position heading towards the end of the year, clear at the top of both the Premier League and Champions League.
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