‘Very advanced’ surprise exit links emerge for senior Liverpool midfielder, and it’s not Thiago

With two new midfield signings through the door, three exits already confirmed, and a lot of eye-catching stories still to digest on the transfer rumour mill, Liverpool’s midfield shake-up is providing a lot of entertainment. However, this recent update could be the story of the summer for the Reds, if the tale turns out to be true.

It’s no secret that Steven Gerrard has been eyeing up Jordan Henderson as one of his first recruits at Al-Ettifaq, but little suggested the Anfield legend would get his man, until now. According to L’Equipe journalist Loïc Tanzi, the Liverpool skipper is one of the main targets for the Saudi outfit.

Al-Ettifaq are hoping to follow in similar footsteps to other clubs in the Saudi Pro League, who have snapped up the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, and Rúben Neves in the past few weeks alone. Gerrard’s new club are yet to make a signing this window but it would be quite the statement to coax Jurgen Klopp’s captain away from the club he has dedicated 12 years of his career to.

Tanzi followed up on Twitter with further news, stating that some sources have reported the situation between Al-Ettifaq and Henderson is ‘very advanced.’ The 33-year-old has two years left on his current contract and while he has been a key player and role model, Klopp’s current plans to revamp his engine room could see Henderson ousted from a regular role.

Last season, the skipper remained heavily involved in the first team, but was an inconsistent starter. During some Premier League matches, he was brought on with very little time left — his shortest appearance was just eight minutes against Chelsea.

New recruits Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai will surely be nailed on as frequent starters for the Reds, with either Fabinho or a new defensive midfielder taking on the No.6 role. There is still the likes of Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajčetić to consider as well