Celtic have a strong midfield department right now. Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Arne Engels are the regular starters there while Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan are excellent cover options as well and could easily slot into the starting XI. Odin Thiago Holm is also someone there were high hopes for, although he has not been able to meet those expectations yet.
If there is one midfield role that Celtic are lacking right now, it is that of a defensive midfielder. In the recent past, they have had players like Ismaila Soro, Tomoki Iwata and Oliver Abildgaard. But nobody has really been able to establish themselves in the team for a consistent length of time.
The latest defensive midfielder to be linked with Celtic is Wataru Endo. The Japanese international has struggled to get into the Liverpool team since Arne Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp as their manager.
Now, he seems to be eyeing an Anfield exit. As reported by CaughtOffside, Liverpool could accept a transfer fee of around €15 million to €18 million for Endo.
Liverpool asking fee for Celtic-linked Wataru Endo named
There is zero doubt that Endo is a very good player and would add a lot to this Celtic squad. But it is hard to imagine that the club would even consider the idea of signing him for that kind of a transfer fee.
If Celtic were to sign Endo, the most likely route for them would be to try and bring him on a loan deal. Last season, the Hoops had signed Nat Phillips from Liverpool on a temporary basis as well.
Celtic do not really need a defensive midfielder in most of their domestic games. Maybe to see out a few close matches at times. But one could certainly help them in the Champions League, especially if they make it to the next phase.