Mourinho Blocks Liverpool's Pursuit of Endrick

Jose Mourinho is back in Liverpool’s way – this time from Madrid, not Manchester or west London – and the story is starting to feel familiar.

The Real Madrid head coach, who has clashed with Liverpool across dugouts at Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, has again helped shut a door the Anfield hierarchy hoped might open. This time the name is Endrick.

Endrick unmoved by Liverpool interest

According to ESPN, the Brazilian forward is not entertaining the idea of leaving Real Madrid, despite Liverpool sounding out his situation earlier in the summer. The Reds are understood to have asked about his availability after completing the signing of Yan Diomande.

Liverpool were prepared to go big for Diomande. Almost £100million was on the table for the Ivory Coast international before he chose Madrid over Merseyside. Once again, the call from the Bernabeu carried more weight.

Diomande has already lifted the lid on how hard Mourinho pushed to get him. Speaking to SportyTV, he revealed the manager’s personal touch.

“Mourinho got up at five in the morning to talk to me,” he said, recalling the decisive conversation. When Real Madrid came calling, the decision followed quickly. “When Madrid calls you, you can't say no. So I said: ‘If they want me, that's where I'll be.’”

For Endrick, the picture is now clearer. The 19-year-old has enjoyed his summer under Mourinho and, per the same ESPN report, wants to stay and fight for his place. Mourinho is said to see him as a flexible piece across the front line rather than a surplus asset.

Mourinho backs Endrick and shuts out suitors

That belief has had consequences. Both Mourinho and Endrick have, according to reports, turned down offers from Aston Villa and Roma in recent weeks. The forward spent the second half of last season on loan at Lyon, but this pre-season he has been firmly in Mourinho’s plans.

Endrick started and scored in his first outing of the summer against Fiorentina, a timely reminder of his potential. He kept his place for friendlies against Deportivo La Coruna and Ferencvaros, though he did not feature in Madrid’s most recent warm-up game.

In his absence, Diomande made his non-competitive debut, coming on for Brahim Diaz for the final half-hour. The former RB Leipzig winger has wasted no time nailing his colours to Mourinho’s mast.

In that same SportyTV interview, Diomande described the welcome he received.

“As soon as I arrived, he told me: ‘I promised you that you were going to be part of my team, and here you are,’” Diomande said. “And I told him: ‘I'm happy to work with you because you are the best.’”

His admiration didn’t stop there. “I can learn a lot from him; he is the right coach to continue my development. I am prepared to die for him.”

Those are the sort of bonds that make prising players away from Madrid even harder. Liverpool have felt that resistance twice in one window – first with Diomande’s choice, now with Endrick’s stance.

Liverpool pivot to new attacking targets

With Endrick off the table and Diomande in white rather than red, Liverpool’s recruitment team has moved on. Their latest concrete effort came in the form of a £50million bid for Yankuba Minteh, which Brighton & Hove Albion rejected.

Minteh is the one they have formally tested the market for, but he is not the only name in the frame. Liverpool have held initial exploratory talks over Ibrahim Mbaye and Magnhes Akilouche. Any hopes of landing that pair, though, ended with both players joining Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG are also at the centre of another Liverpool pursuit. The French champions have been in discussions with the Reds for several weeks over Bradley Barcola. The price is enormous: PSG want £140million for the France international. Barcola, for his part, has made it clear privately that he wants to join Liverpool.

Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Said El Mala were also flagged as possibilities earlier in the summer. They remain just that: names on a list, options weighed, nothing more.

So Liverpool continue to hunt for the right forward while Mourinho quietly tightens his grip on the ones they admire. For a club used to being the destination, not the consolation, the question now is simple: who blinks first in this window – the sellers, or the Reds?