Liverpool’s next signing is obvious, latest transfer news confirms it

There are only a few weeks left of the summer transfer window.

Liverpool have already been fairly busy after they've welcomed three new players to their ranks so far.

Other links with players such as Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye have also started to emerge so, it's clear that change could still be on the way.

However, since Liverpool's first-team squad now has no free non-homegrown places in their team, some players are clearly going to have to be moved on.

Of course, the Reds could target homegrown players but, since Elliott Anderson and Morgan Rogers have both just been sold for over £115 million each, it's clear that the market for English players is rather inflated.

So, this means that Liverpool may have to sacrifice one or two of their current crop of players before they can start making additions to their squad.

And now, after the latest transfer news to emerge from Arsenal, Richard Hughes' next signing is obvious.

Liverpool want to listen to offers for Wataru Endo this summer

Although Liverpool's squad depth is already minimal, if they want to bring new players in, some need to be moved on.

Wataru Endo and Calvin Ramsay are the most logical options with a fresh update from journalist Pete O'Rourke sharing that the Reds are now willing to listen to offers for the Japan international.

Rumours about Ramsay have also been shared in the background but, with how dodgy Andoni Iraola's defence is at the moment, the Scotsman could end up staying put.

This would mean that Endo would have to go.

The 34-year-old has just returned from a major injury and, since he only has a year left on his current deal, selling the veteran makes a lot of sense.

However, this would leave Iraola without a senior back-up for Ryan Gravenberch which could end up being catastrophic.

That is, especially if he performs as poorly as he did last season.

So, since Hughes and Iraola are now open to letting Endo go, it now feels obvious that Liverpool's next signing is going to be a number six.

Liverpool have many options to explore in defensive midfield

Over the last few months, many defensive midfielders have been linked with an Anfield switch.

Almost everyone who watched Liverpool could tell that a new number six was needed with Gravenberch proving that he can't be relied on as a consistent option.

Despite this lack of form, Liverpool still offered him a bumper new deal which means that they're stuck with him for now.

However, that shouldn't stop them from looking at potential options that they could explore.

Marc Casado and Adam Wharton feel like the two most likely candidates to join Liverpool at the moment with Barcelona even telling Casado that he can leave.

Palace, on the other hand, don't want Wharton to go but, of the two options, he'd certainly make the most sense for Liverpool, even if he is set to cost around €100 million.

There's still a few weeks left of the window so things could obviously end up changing but, for now, with Endo seeming like he's on the way out, a new number six should certainly be high on Liverpool's priority list.