‘Closing in’ - Ex-Liverpool midfielder to reunite with Jordan Henderson in Saudi Arabia

Former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum is close to agreeing a move to join Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia.

Wijnaldum, 32, left Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 after five successful years at the club.

Now, he’s close to being the latest star name to join the Saudi Arabian Pro League, as advanced talks are going on now over a permanent transfer, with PSG expecting to receive a deal in excess of £7.7m (€9m) as they close in on a deal, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The move will see him play under former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who currently manages the side who sit fifth in the Saudi Pro League after four games - level on points with Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane’s Al-Nassr.

Furthermore, Wijnaldum will reunite with former teammate Jordan Henderson. The pair were part of a core midfield three that were the foundation to the success achieved under Jurgen Klopp.

It also included Fabinho who also plays in the same league after leaving Liverpool this summer to join league-leaders Al-Ittihad.

The former Newcastle midfielder played 237 times for the Reds, scoring 22 times and assisting on 16 occasions as he was a key part of their successes in the Champions League and Premier League across his time at the club.

Wijnaldum joined Paris Saint-Germain in the same transfer window as Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma, but failed to make a lasting impact as he spent just one full season there before heading to Roma on a season-long loan.

His move there didn’t fare much better thanks to a shock injury; he suffered a tibia fracture in August 2022 shortly after joining which kept him out for well over six months before returning to PSG this summer.