Liverpool have turned down a bid for midfielder Wataru Endo from Marseille – after the French club tabled an offer in the region of £12m for the Japan international.

New boss Roberto De Zerbi is keen on bringing in the midfielder but the Reds have rebuffed an initial approach. There are other clubs also interested in the player.

Endo, 31, only arrived at Liverpool last summer in a £16.2m deal and the Reds are not looking to offload the player.

He arrived to replace Fabinho in the No 6 role at the club after a failed move to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton. Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was a huge admirer of the former Stuttgart player.

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New manager Arne Slot is using the US tour to assess his squad before Liverpool splash out on new recruits. If Endo was to be sold he would surely have to be replaced, although Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones have both played the position.

Marseille have signed Mason Greenwood from Manchester United this summer while they’ve also brought in midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on loan from Tottenham and Ismael Kone from Watford.

Meanwhile, Harvey Elliott believes Lee Carsley would be ready to step up and take the England senior team top job. The Liverpool forward would also hope that would open the door for him to break into the Three Lions squad as he still waits on a first call-up.

Elliott, 21, played under Carsley as England U21s won the European Championships last summer. The Kop midfielder came off the bench in the final as England beat Spain to win the trophy.

Endo is known for his all-action play in midfield ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
Now Carsley’s name is in the frame to follow in the footsteps of Gareth Southgate and get promoted to the seniors role. The likes of Eddie Howe and Graham Potter seem to be the leading contenders with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp fanciful hopes for some Three Lions supporters.

There have been questions if the former Everton and Republic of Ireland midfielder would be ready for such a big role. But Elliott is in no doubt that he would be able to handle what is one of the biggest jobs in the game.

He said: “Lee is an unbelievable manager and an unbelievable guy. He is ready to step up. There have been a lot of big clubs sniffing around him and that is credit to himself and his coaching.

“Whenever I step on the pitch for England I just have freedom to enjoy my football. I feel like he is ready. They are conversations for them [at the FA].”