Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has completed medical procedures to prepare to join Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ettifaq club in a deal worth 12 million pounds ($15.4 million).
The 33-year-old midfielder is set to sign a three-year, £700,000-a-week deal – ending his illustrious 12-year career at Anfield.
According to The Athletic, Henderson underwent a medical in Manchester on Friday and is currently waiting for the paperwork to go through. He is then expected to gather with his new teammates at their pre-season training camp in Croatia next week.
The Liverpool captain was dropped from the squad for the Reds’ 4-2 win at Karlsruhe on Wednesday night after Al-Ettifaq returned to the negotiating table with an offer the Anfield side happily accepted. Henderson had discussions with coach Jurgen Klopp in the early afternoon of the same day and the decision was agreed by both sides.
Al-Ettifaq, which does not have the financial backing of the Public Investment Fund like the top four clubs in Saudi Arabia, initially did not want to pay the transfer fee but after everything stalled last weekend, they returned with a money and payment time that met Liverpool’s requirements.
Henderson, as reported last week, has been offered a £700,000- a-week contract . The two weeks have been tumultuous for the 33-year-old, who has talked a lot with Klopp during that period. Discussions revolved around his playing time next season and his future role.
Klopp is well aware of how difficult it is for Henderson to be absent from the field and the player will also worry about his position in the England squad. He also spoke with Gareth Southgate about his views on moving to a smaller league in Saudi Arabia.
Klopp has allowed another key midfielder, Fabinho, to stay at home amid a £40m bid by Al-Ittihad and the prospect of Liverpool without a Brazilian or Henderson in their season opener against Chelsea is entirely possible.
In addition, Al-Hilal has also expressed an interest in Luis Diaz with a £ 50 million offer for the Colombia international, but Liverpool have no intention of selling their attacking pillar.