Fabrizio Romano has said that Liverpool are hoping to sign another midfielder this summer, irrespective of what happens with Jordan Henderson.
The club captain is believed to have made a verbal agreement to sign for Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, with his teammate and positional peer Fabinho also being linked with a potential move to the Middle East.
The Reds have already seen three senior midfielders depart Anfield since the end of last season (four when you count the on-loan Arthur Melo), with two subsequently coming in, but the upheaval in that position doesn’t seem to be finished just yet.
Romano stated in a video on his YouTube channel that Jurgen Klopp has told Henderson he’s free to leave because he can’t guarantee regular game-time for the 33-year-old in the upcoming campaign, while in any case his intention is to recruit another player in that role.
The Italian outlined: “Klopp said that because Liverpool, in any case [with or without Henderson], want to sign one more midfielder. I already told you days ago, after [Alexis] Mac Allister and [Dominik] Szoboszlai, the plan is to sign one more, with Romeo Lavia on the list for sure.
“For sure they want one more; this is the idea of Liverpool. This is why Klopp was very honest with Henderson, and the decision of the player is to say yes to Al-Ettifaq.”
If the Reds are to sanction the exit of their long-serving captain, it’s essential that an experienced figure is brought in to plug the substantial void the 33-year-old’s departure would leave.
Lavia is a talented young player but, at 19, wouldn’t be ready to fill the skipper’s boots just yet. Let’s hope Liverpool have a solid succession plan behind the scenes if they do allow Henderson to board the plane for Saudi Arabia.
You can see Romano’s update below (from 2:51), via Fabrizio Romano on YouTube: