Bundesliga club's director admits they didn't want to sell star to Liverpool, had to part ways as player wanted to leave

VfB Stuttgart sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth has admitted that his club didn't want to sell Wataru Endo this summer, with the player ultimately joining Liverpool last month.

The Reds were in the market for a new No. 6 after Fabinho's surprise move to Al-Ittihad. They made moves for Romeo Lavia and Moises, but both players ended up joining Chelsea instead for a combined fee of £173 million.

After missing out on the two aforementioned midfielders, the Reds moved quickly to sign Endo from Stuttgart for £16 million on August 18. Their desperation for a new No. 6 was evident as the Japan international featured in their 3-1 league win over Bournemouth the very next day.

Recalling Endo's departure, Wohlgemuth told BILD (h/t SportWitness):

"Wataru is a player that we actually didn’t want to let go. To be honest, we didn’t have Liverpool FC on our list as an interested party. We were informed by the players’ advisors about Liverpool FC’s interest a few hours before the offer was received.

"Wataru himself really wanted to take this step regardless of our offer to extend the contract. Because the facts were on the table, we had no choice but to agree with Jorg Schmadtke (Liverpool sporting director) with our revised financial demands. In the end, we came to an agreement relatively quickly in the negotiations."

Endo has featured in all three of the Reds' last three Premier League games before the international break. Jurgen Klopp doesn't have a senior, natural No. 6 apart from Endo, although 18-year-old Spaniard Stefan Bajcetic is expected to compete for the position.

---

Liverpool's Wataru Endo visited Stuttgart to say his goodbyes to former teammates

Wataru Endo visited VfB Stuttgart earlier this week to bid farewell to his former teammates. Perhaps the move to Anfield was so quick that he didn't have the chance to do it last month.

In a video posted by Stuttgart's official account on September 13, the 30-year-old is seen greeting his former teammates one by one as they return from a training session. During his four years with the German club, he became an indispensable part of their first team.

Endo registered 15 goals and 12 assists in 133 games for Stuttgart and helped them win promotion to the Bundesliga in his debut season at the club. The 52-cap Japan international started all but one of his team's 34 league games last season.

The former Urawa Reds midfielder has penned a four-year deal with Liverpool this summer. It remains to be seen if Klopp and co. will make a move for another defensive midfielder next year, with Andre Trindade still on their radar.