According to Fabrizio Romano, the Liverpool captain now has a “verbal agreement in principle” with Steven Gerrard’s new team. Earlier on Thursday, reports claimed that the proposal would pay an astounding £700k a week.
Following a conversation between Jurgen Klopp and the midfielder earlier in the day, Romano said that “there’s green light,” suggesting that Liverpool is now willing to negotiate a price for Henderson.
Some have claimed that Al-Ettifaq had hoped to sign Henderson for as little as £10 million, but The Times’ Paul Joyce reports that the Reds will demand £20 million for their captain.
This amount is supported by Sky’s Melissa Reddy, who tweeted that Liverpool could expect to pay twice the estimated £10 million for Jordan Henderson given the two years left on his contract, his position as club captain, and his England international status.
By coincidence, £20 million also roughly equates to the price Liverpool paid to sign Henderson from Sunderland 12 years ago, when he had made close to 500 appearances.
If the parties can reach an agreement on a price, it is anticipated that the deal will proceed quickly given that preseason has already started and Klopp’s desire to finish rebuilding his midfield.
However, Al-Ittihad is prepared to make a £40 million offer for Fabinho, making Henderson not the only Liverpool star being sought after by Saudi Arabia.
Should both players leave, the Reds would lose an unprecedented seven first-team midfielders this summer, with Arthur Melo’s loan coming to an end, James Milner’s contract expiring, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leaving for free agency, and Fabio Carvalho signing with RB Leipzig for the upcoming campaign.
The club has so far signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, but Romeo Lavia, who is valued at £50 million, has been mentioned as a potential replacement for Fabinho.