Liverpool midfield duo Fabinho and Jordan Henderson are being targeted for big-money moves to Saudi Arabia that could represent a huge moment for Jürgen Klopp.
Liverpool could be set to undergo a much bigger midfield change than expected with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho emerging as major transfer targets for the Saudi Pro League.
Henderson has been offered as much as $915k (£700k/€820k) per week, the Daily Mail has reported, while The Athletic this morning broke the news of a $52m (£40m/€47m) bid for Fabinho being readied. It is possible that both players could depart should they decide to make the move and accept the giant salaries on offer.
Fabrizio Romano has reported on Twitter that Liverpool would demand $13m (£10m/€12m) for Henderson, giving Liverpool a combined sum of $65m (£50m/€58m) for the pair if the moves happen. Where would that leave the Liverpool rebuild, though? For one thing, it would mean more incomings in the center of the pitch would become vitally important, with Jürgen Klopp left short of bodies.
While the Saudi league has made a big splash recently, this would be another level entirely. This is not Cristiano Ronaldo heading to the Middle East for one last big payday, an injury-prone N’Golo Kanté leaving Chelsea, or a mid-table midfielder like Rúben Neves being snapped up.
Henderson is a key man for Liverpool and England and Fabinho is only 29. The ex-AS Monaco man still has plenty of time left in his career and would be heading into the new season as the Reds’ only natural senior holding midfielder as things stand.
In what could be a game-changing moment for football, it should become clear in the next day or two which way the transfer deals will fall and what Liverpool needs to do next. Here is a look at what Liverpool.com believes will ‘definitely’ happen should the double exit take place.
Two new signings needed
Roméo Lavia is among the options being considered for Liverpool should another player leave this summer, but he alone will not be enough if both Fabinho and Henderson are lost.
This is not the same as the situation with the likes of James Milner and Naby Keïta, who have already departed for nothing at the end of their deals; Fabinho and Henderson made 92 appearances in all competitions between them last season.
If Fabinho and Henderson were to depart, that would leave Liverpool with the following midfielders in its squad: Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Thiago Alcântara, Tyler Morton and Stefan Bajčetić.
More experience would be required to bridge the gap. More bodies would be vital to cover the minutes and avoid the Reds leaving themselves short of options.
New captain named
With Henderson gone, Liverpool would be losing its club captain. A new player would need to be named in the role, with vice-captain Virgil van Dijk (who has had the armband a number of times before) perhaps being the obvious favorite.
Trent Alexander-Arnold would also have a claim and has made no secret of that being his ambition in the past. The 24-year-old is set to be a major part of the Liverpool team for years to come.
While Liverpool has lots of leaders in its team, including national team captains like Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, losing Henderson and Milner in one summer — plus the experience of Fabinho — would be significant.
No repeat of 2022/23
At times last season, Liverpool’s midfield was simply unable to cope with intensity and was overrun by its opponents. Now, though, with a complete overhaul possible, that should be eradicated.
Replacing aging legs with younger ones is a good thing as long as those more youthful players have enough experience to be able to compete at the very top level.
Whether by design or accident, replacing Henderson and Fabinho in one go — should that be necessary — would mean kicking off next season with an almost entirely different Liverpool midfield line-up.
In a summer of big changes, this could be a monumental moment that reshapes what the rest of Klopp’s time at Liverpool ends up looking like. Henderson is the only player in the Liverpool squad who was there when Klopp arrived, and that could soon change.
