Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has reportedly reached a verbal agreement to join Saudi Arabian giants Al-Ettifaq.
The 33-year-old – who has donned the armband for Jurgen Klopp’s side since 2015 – is being tipped to reunite with former Reds teammate Steven Gerrard, who has taken charge of the Saudi Pro League side.
It was previously reported that Henderson was set to turn down a reunion with Gerrard in order to stay at Liverpool, where he remains under contract for another two seasons.
However, the England international is now said to be leaning towards joining Al-Ettifaq, where he could supposedly quadruple his £190,000-a-week Liverpool wages.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Henderson has now given the green light to a move to the Middle East, having reached a verbal agreement in principle with Gerrard’s side.
Romano adds that Henderson held face-to-face talks with Klopp on Thursday, and the Liverpool boss will not stand in his skipper’s way of leaving the club this summer.
However, Al-Ettifaq must still negotiate a fee with Liverpool, as the Merseyside giants are not prepared to terminate Henderson’s contract and let him leave for free.
Al-Ettifaq had supposedly hoped to pay nothing for Henderson’s signature, but Liverpool are holding out for a £10m fee, most of which they want to be paid upfront.
Henderson’s proposed move to the Gulf state will bring an end to his memorable 12-year stay at Liverpool, who paid €18m (£15.4m) to sign him from Sunderland in the summer of 2011.
The 33-year-old has since represented the club on 492 occasions in all competitions, scoring 33 goals and registering 61 assists while winning eight major honours, including the 2011-12 EFL Cup in his debut season.
Since succeeding Gerrard as captain, Henderson has led Liverpool to another EFL Cup crown, as well as Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield titles.
The midfielder also collected a host of individual accolades in the 2019-20 season, being named the FWA Footballer of the Year and making the PFA Team of the Year after guiding Liverpool to their first-ever Premier League title.
Henderson failed to find the back of the net last season, but he registered three assists in 43 matches and remained a key player for Klopp, although the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai could restrict his playing time next term.
Liverpool have already seen Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner walk out of the door for nothing upon the expiration of their contracts, while also deciding against making Arthur’s loan move from Juventus permanent.
Youngster Leighton Clarkson has also completed a transfer to Aberdeen, while the long-term futures of Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho have also been called into question.
