Liverpool midfielders Jordan Henderson and Fabinho could both make high profile moves to Saudi Arabia this summer
Liverpool are waiting for the formalities for Jordan Henderson’s transfer to Al Ettifaq to be completed as the club captain prepares to end his brilliant 12-year spell at Anfield.
The Liverpool captain missed the Reds’ first pre-season game against Karlsruher SC on Wednesday night and then returned to Britain to complete a move that would make him the latest top Premier League player to join the Saudi Pro League.
Henderson underwent a medical on Friday and as a result the player and Al Ettifaq must complete the final stages of the deal after Liverpool agreed an initial fee of £12m to sell their eight-year-old captain. The 33-year-old is expected to sign a three-year contract with Steven Gerrard’s side and earn a salary of around £350,000 a week, although figures of up to £700,000 have been reported.
Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq is currently in Croatia as part of pre-season and Henderson could join his new teammates early next week if all the necessary paperwork goes smoothly.
Meanwhile, Fabinho’s move to Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad is also expected to be finalized in the coming days. However, like Henderson’s departure from Anfield, some details of the deal still need to be finalized so that Liverpool can recoup almost all of the £43million they spent to sign the Brazilian at the club five years ago.
Liverpool have agreed in principle to a £40million deal to see the 29-year-old, whose current contract remains in three years, leave the club. However, Fabinho’s departure is also expected to be completed this week, albeit at a slower pace than Henderson’s.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are currently eyeing a handful of names who could move to Anfield this summer to replace Fabinho, with Southampton’s Romeo Lavia top of the club’s list of targets.
Speaking on the We Are Liverpool podcast on Saturday, Klopp confirmed Liverpool will make further signings next month ahead of their Premier League debut for Chelsea, ensuring the Reds have a “good squad” before the match.
“There are so many things to do,” the 56-year-old said when asked about the summer program. “The transfer window is open. If my day had 28 hours right now it wouldn’t be a problem – I could easily fill them!
“With all the stuff you have to do left and right, my main focus and energy is to go into the training sessions, which is what I do. So I can try to help with other things on both sides of the sessions.
“There are still three and a half weeks until the first match of the season. Before then, some things have to happen, especially in terms of the transfer market. Now it’s clear. And they will happen. New players have to arrive. We will have a good team.”
