Liverpool could still make a late move in the transfer market with just four days until the deadline on Friday.
The Reds have been monitoring a number of midfielders this summer and could still add to their options after the signings of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo. A centre-back is also desired and might now be the priority after the sending off of Virgil van Dijk against Newcastle and injury to Ibrahima Konate depleted Jurgen Klopp's options.
The Liverpool boss has made no secret of his desire to sign a left-sided centre-back, but midfield has so far has taken up much of the workload for Jorg Schmadtke and his recruitment team.
It has been a frantic summer in the market for Liverpool, with unexpected departures, more unexpected arrivals and a lot of rumours.
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Indeed, there was a day back in early June that saw many at Liverpool become particularly exasperated at the velocity of transfer links.
"Peak bull**** day!" was one forthright response as the mound of speculation piled higher, while a member of the recruitment department was rather more diplomatic, simply insisting: "We get linked to a lot of players." It was an understatement, alright.
Over two months on and the links to players from other teams have refused to yield, despite an outlay that has now tipped past the £110m mark for Liverpool. It's officially the biggest-spending summer since 2018 at Anfield but more is anticipated and indeed, demanded.
Douglas Luiz and Boubavar Kamara of Aston Villa, Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch and Crystal Palace enforcer Cheick Doucoure are just three of the names on the rumour mill at present, while Fulham's Portugal international Joao Palhinha is another midfielder whose merits have been assessed at one point or another. The France Under-21 duo of Khephren Thuram and Manu Kone are two more who were under consideration earlier in the window.
The list of central midfielders is and has been extensive, despite the fact that Liverpool's summer business so far has honed in specifically on the rebuilding of the engine room. And while supporters often gain comfort from a belief that the Reds' approach to targets is always the product of a wider, more long-term strategy, the move for Wataru Endo is proof that opportunism and flexibility are needed by the bucket load at times.
The Japan captain's admission that he first heard of the club's interest "three or four days ago" laid bare just how agile the recruitment team are having to be at present as they scour the market for the perfect blend of incomings. The speed at which the entire transaction was concluded also offers encouragement for those who insist further reinforcements are needed before the September 1 deadline.
Liverpool's £111m offer for Moises Caicedo has emboldened many for the remainder of this month. With Endo costing a shade over £16m from Stuttgart, conventional wisdom suggests the Reds still have a healthy budget to play with as they continue to manoeuvre through the playing trading months.
Jurgen Klopp, however, played down talk of an existing pot of around £100m, which is perhaps understandable given how selling clubs will now look to turn the screw during any negotiations going forward.
“It is not, from my experience, meaning that you take the fee paid from the money not spent and the gap between that is the money available," Klopp said when it was suggested fans might wonder where the money from the Caicedo bid has gone.
"I don’t think that is the case and it is not a problem. When there are the right players we will have a look. We are definitely still in the market watching and seeing what is going on and what we can do. We always try to strengthen the squad, definitely, and that's it.”
If there had to be some adroit accounting involved for Liverpool to launch that jaw-dropping £111m offer for Caicedo – a fee that would smash the current club-record deal for Virgil van Dijk in 2018 by £36m – it is at least proof that the club and owners Fenway Sports Group can and will make the necessary adjustments to their policy when they feel the right player is on the market.
The 21-year-old Caicedo, who was one of the finest midfielders in the Premier League last season at Brighton, was deemed to be of the correct profile, but having missed out on him to Chelsea, the major question is where they turn next in the much-debated rejuvenation of the midfield, particularly now Romeo Lavia has also chosen the Londoners due to the summer-long deliberating at Anfield.
Many inside the club – including the leading figures whose opinion carries most weight – believed the 19-year-old Lavia, who played 29 times for Southampton in his first full season in the Premier League, was not worth near the £50m valuation initially placed on him by the Saints. And despite the willingness to bet the house on Caicedo with an offer of more than double, the figure eventually paid by Chelsea for Belgian international Lavia of £58m was deemed hugely prohibitive at the AXA Training Centre.
It was those events that caused a left-field pivot to Endo, who arrives as something of an unheralded 30-year-old from Stuttgart, despite his status as Japan captain. Had the new No.3 joined earlier in the window, the general consensus should have been more positive.
But the fact Endo was signed after the season had already started after missing out on two younger, more high-profile targets was what led to the initial scepticism in some parts. That, though, does not seek to do a disservice to the defensive-minded qualities of the new signing.
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The addition of Endo does at least provide the club with more wriggle room as the window moves closer to deadline and with Klopp making no secret of the desire to further furnish his squad, there is cause for optimism for those whose glasses are half full.
Gravenberch can likely be described as a 'long-standing target' at this stage. Liverpool were believed to have met with his representatives earlier this year and have been waiting on discussions between the Netherlands international and Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel, who was only appointed in late March.
The former Ajax midfielder indicated his future depended on the outcome of those talks during his time with the Dutch Under-21 side at the European Championships in June. However, if Gravenberch did receive assurances, they have yet to manifest in game time with the Dutchman refusing to rule out an exit after being given just 10 minutes to impress during Bayern's win over Augsburg this weekend.
But while all the focus remains on the midfield, it may now be defensive reinforcements that Liverpool will need to scramble for this week, with first choice duo Van Dijk and Konate to miss Aston Villa, at the very least. Levi Colwill was a player who Liverpool had been keen on earlier this summer, but talk of a new centre-back seemingly dried up as he stayed at Chelsea and Liverpool's midfield problems came into focus.
Links with Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie have since emerged but with a price-tag of around £60m. The ECHO understands he's currently not under consideration and in any case, it'd be a surprise to see Liverpool go so big with so little time left of the window.
Meanwhile, there is likely to be at least one outgoing before the deadline. Liverpool have yet to find a buyer for Nat Phillips, who is expected to finally depart the club. Meanwhile, Saudi interest in Mohamed Salah and Joe Gomez will be met with a firm no from the Anfield hierarchy.
The looming, unfinished Anfield Road project served as something of a symbolic reflection of what is needed on the pitch at the weekend. While the club's literal rebuilding is not yet complete, neither are their efforts to renovate the squad further. What happens before September 1 then will be fascinating and as evidenced by the wildly contrasting, yet similarly surprising moves for Caicedo and Endo, second guessing Liverpool for the remainder of this window could be foolish.
A version of this piece was first published on August 21