Liverpool have signed midfielder Wataru Endo from Stuttgart for a fee of around £19m, subject to a work permit and international clearance.
The 30-year-old Japan international has agreed a four-year contract.
Liverpool have brought in Endo after missing out on Ecuador international Moises Caicedo and Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia to Chelsea.
Endo can also play at centre-back but has been signed primarily as a central defensive midfielder.
The singing of Endo, who captains the Japanese national team and had been the skipper of Stuttgart, follows the departures of ex-Reds midfielders Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer.