Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is set to leave his training camp in Germany after the Merseyside club and Al Ettifaq agreed a deal in principle that would see the midfielder join the Saudi Arabia side.
A fee of £12m plus surcharges has been agreed between the two sides.
Henderson has already agreed a three-year deal worth nearly £700,000 ($917,000) a week with Al Ettifaq, who is managed by the 33-year-old’s former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard.
However, an agreement had yet to be reached between the clubs as club captain Henderson still had two years left on his four-year contract, which he signed in the summer of 2021.
Henderson traveled to Germany with his teammates on Saturday. He was not included in the squad for the game against Karlsruhe on Wednesday afternoon.
Gerrard was named Al Ettifaq’s new manager earlier this month and played a key role in Henderson’s pursuit.
The England international has also been a leader off the pitch for Liverpool and England and has been one of the most vocal players in supporting the LGBTQI+ community and fans. Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia and Liverpool support group Kop Outs said they would be “appalled” if a proposed transfer went through.
Henderson joined Liverpool from Sunderland in 2011 and was appointed captain of the club following Gerrard’s departure in 2015. He has been a fixture of the Liverpool team since his arrival, making 492 appearances in all competitions.
Henderson made 43 appearances for Liverpool last season and made 23 Premier League appearances, while Jurgen Klopp’s side finished fifth.
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Henderson’s team-mate Fabinho has been left out of Liverpool’s tour group to Germany after Saudi club Al Ittihad made a £40m ($52m) offer for the Brazil international.
Liverpool’s midfield is already undergoing a significant refresh this off-season with the additions of Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister and RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai. They are also interested in a move from Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucour.
James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain left the club when their contracts expired in June, while Fabio Carvalho was loaned to RB Leipzig for a season.
The Saudi Pro League has become the target of several European stars following the acquisition of Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli by the Public Investment Fund.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr back in December, while his former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema made a surprise move to Al Ittihad in early June.
Henderson’s former Liverpool team-mate Roberto Firmino signed for Al Ahli last week after his contract with the Premier League club expired. Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy have also moved to the Gulf state.
Now what for Liverpool’s midfield?
Analysis by Andy Jones
The potential departures of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson would leave Liverpool looking weak in midfield. In addition, Fabio Carvalho has joined RB Leipzig on loan.
Jurgen Klopp largely rebuilt that space this summer with the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a combined sum of around £95m ($123m) following the departures of Milner, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arthur Melo .
The versatile new duo should provide a significant boost of energy and creativity, but Liverpool are yet to sign a specialist defensive midfielder. That may have to change.
If Liverpool continue with the 3-box-3 system in which they finished the season, Mac Allister is considered the ideal number 10 on the left and Szoboszlai the number 10 on the right.
However, should Henderson and Fabinho, or both, switch, changes will need to be made.
They remain interested in Southampton’s Romeo Lavia and Doucoure but believe the £50million Belgian teenager is significantly overvalued.
There’s also Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott. They had very different campaigns last season but could be held back by the signings of Mac Allister and Szoboszlai.
Although Klopp has brought new faces, the potential loss of experience in midfield needs to be offset.
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(Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)