Liverpool have seen Ibrahima Konate and Trent Alexander-Arnold depart for Real Madrid across two successive summer transfer periods, with the club receiving little more than £8million combined from these departures.
Andoni Iraola’s side have suffered another setback during the current transfer window. Reports suggest Endrick has no intention of leaving Real Madrid despite apparent interest from the Merseyside club. Sources indicate Liverpool put forward no formal offers for the forward this summer, with Aston Villa and Roma also mentioned as clubs monitoring the situation.
The 20-year-old appears determined to remain at the Bernabeu despite the club bringing in Carlos Espi and Yan Diomande, which only adds to the competition for attacking positions. The Reds had been prepared to spend £100million on the winger before he opted to move to the Spanish club instead.
Bradley Barcola and Yankuba Minteh have emerged as alternatives. Brighton & Hove Albion turned down a £50million bid for the latter.
Endrick now looks to have delivered another blow to Liverpool’s ambitions as coverage indicates he wishes to stay in Madrid following a successful summer. Mourinho sees the forward as a versatile option in attack.
After spending the second half of last season on loan at Lyon, Endrick has participated in Madrid’s pre-season schedule this month. The 20-year-old scored the opening goal in his first summer outing against Fiorentina. He also started in their matches against Deportivo La Coruna and Ferencvaros, though he missed their most recent game against Schalke.
Mourinho has confirmed Endrick will not feature in their opening La Liga fixture against Espanyol on Saturday evening. The forward is understood to be dealing with a minor muscle problem.
Nevertheless, he is reportedly merely one of multiple players Liverpool have explored acquiring. The club have conducted initial talks about Ibrahim Mbaye and Magnhes Akilouche this summer. The latter has since moved to join Mbaye at Paris Saint-Germain, with Liverpool having engaged in discussions for several weeks regarding Barcola. PSG are seeking £140million for the France international who has reportedly signalled privately his wish to move to Liverpool.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Said El Mala were also assessed as potential options earlier in the summer. Diomande, however, was the one Liverpool prioritised earlier in the window before Madrid and Mourinho prevailed.
Speaking about the pursuit on SportyTV, Diomande explained that Mourinho got up at five in the morning to talk to him. He noted that when Madrid calls you cannot say no, so he said that if they wanted him, that is where he would be.
Diomande also explained that as soon as he arrived, Mourinho told him he promised him that he would be part of his team, and here he is. He said he told the manager he was happy to work with him because he is the best, that he can learn a lot from him and that he is the right coach to continue his development. Diomande added that he is prepared to die for him.