Liverpool could receive £50m for Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in shock midfield shakeup: report

Liverpool stars Fabinho and Jordan Henderson during the Champions League round of sixteen second leg football match between Liverpool FC and FC Internazionale. FC Internazionale won 1-0 over Liverpool FC. Liverpool won 2-1 on aggregate and moved on to the next round.
(Image credit: Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Liverpool could end up selling Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to the Saudi Pro League.

Not only that but the Reds could end up making £50 million from the pair leaving – giving Jurgen Klopp more money to spend in the transfer market. As reported by The Athletic's David Ornstein, England international Henderson is seriously considering a move to play for the man he replaced as Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard.

But now, Ornstein has reported that Al Ittihad are also in the market for another Merseyside midfielder and are prepared to offer £40m for Fabinho, to play alongside N'Golo Kante in the centre of the pitch. 

Fabinho of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool FC at City Ground on October 22, 2022 in Nottingham, United Kingdom.

Fabinho is the latest star of Europe to be targeted by the Middle East (Image credit: James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images)

The offer presents a huge dilemma to Klopp. On the one hand, Fabinho is coming off the back of a poor campaign as Liverpool's primary No.6 and is set to turn 30 next season. The club are unlikely to receive another chance to recoup the £40m they paid Monaco for the Brazilian in 2018. 

But equally, Anfield has already waved goodbye to three midfielders this summer in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita – Henderson may make it four. To let five senior players in that position all depart would be unprecedented – especially with such combined experience. With Thiago Alcantara a rumoured target, too, the look of the squad could change significantly this season. 

Liverpool are said to be working on moves for new midfield talent, however. Romeo Lavia of Southampton is a serious target, valued at £40m, who could replace Fabinho like-for-like in terms of fee and position. 

Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have both joined this summer but it's probable that the Reds would need even more firepower in midfield, with just Stefan Bajcetic, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones as other options in that position. 

Dominik Szoboszlai Liverpool Unveil New Signing Dominik Szoboszlai KIRKBY, ENGLAND - JULY 02: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Dominik Szoboszlai new signing for Liverpool at AXA Training Centre on July 02, 2023 in Kirkby, England.

Dominik Szoboszlai has bolstered Liverpool's midfield (Image credit: Getty Images)

On top of midfield incomings, Klopp is also said to want another left-sided centre-back this summer. 

Fabinho is valued by Transfermarkt to be worth €42m.

More Liverpool stories

Liverpool transfer news is ramping up ahead of a huge overhaul at Anfield this summer. 

Benjamin Pavard of Bayern Munich has been linked, while James Ward-Prowse is said to be on the shortlistCelta Vigo's Gabri Veiga is a target and Khephren Thuram of Nice is said to be close to joining – but Manuel Ugarte is one star who reportedly won't be moving to Merseyside

Meanwhile, Diogo Jota has told FFT that Liverpool can win the title in 2024.

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.