Liverpool reveal historic pre-season tour plans | OneFootball

Liverpool will spend pre-season in east Asia, including the club's first ever trip to Japan.

The Reds have often used summers in recent years to tour North America, but this will be the third time in just under a decade that Liverpool have travelled east to go through season preparations and engage with fans across the region.

As the highly likely newly crowned Premier League champions, Liverpool will face AC Milan at the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on 26 July – the new venue's official opening match. The 'Standard Chartered Trophy' is also on offer to the winners of that one.

After leaving Hong Kong, Liverpool will head to Japan. However, details and opponents for the second leg of the tour have not yet been confirmed by the club.

Liverpool's links with Japan have been strengthened by a partnership with Japan Airlines signed last summer. The club also counts current national team captain Wataru Endo in the playing squad, although the midfielder has recently been linked with a summer return to the Bundesliga.

Wataru Endo is a strong link to Japan but could move on / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages

Endo has played an important role in Arne Slot's squad this season, despite not starting a Premier League game. He has often been brought off the bench and has been publicly commended by the boss for his attitude, application and the example he sets to others.

But, on course to win a Premier League title at the end of this season, the opportunity to then play more regularly amid interest from Eintracht Frankfurt could be tempting for Endo, who recently turned 32 and previously enjoyed a successful Bundesliga spell with Stuttgart.

Trent Alexander-Arnold almost certainly won't be part of the Liverpool squad by pre-season, with a Real Madrid free transfer all but publicly announced. There also remain doubts over Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, both of whom are still to agree a new contract to stay at Anfield.