Liverpool are reportedly looking to finalise permanent exits for Fabinho and Jordan Henderson ‘around the coming weekend’.
Florian Plettenberg of Sky Germany tweeted that the club has officially green-lighted each departure – an unsurprising development following the Reds’ acceptance of a £12m initial fee for the skipper’s services.
❗️Been told: Liverpool wants to finalize the deals of #Henderson & #Fabinho around the coming weekend!
ℹ️ #LFC has given the 🟢 light for their departures. Last details have to be clarified now.
➡️ Henderson 🔜 Al-Ettifaq
➡️ Fabinho 🔜 Al-Ittihad@SkySportDE 🇧🇷🏴 pic.twitter.com/S3II232k4z
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) July 19, 2023
The Merseysiders will now look to replenish a midfield department further hit by the loss of quality experience this summer.
A vast multitude of names continue to be linked as Jorg Schmadtke and Co. handle arguably the toughest transfer window faced since Jurgen Klopp first arrived at Anfield.
Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure could be an option, it has emerged, to fill our No.3’s rather sizeable boots in the holding midfield role, though it remains to be seen whether we can meet the Eagles’ likely astronomical asking price.
Henderson’s departure, on the other hand, raises interesting questions around the kind of replacement we should seek given we’re looking to plug more than just playing ability but also a leadership gap.
It’s worth pointing out in that regard, of course, that we’re hardly short of figureheads, despite the departure of our vice captain in James Milner and the looming exit of the ex-Sunderland man.
Only time will tell just what kind of impact such a move will have on our fortunes this term, with Liverpool now set to take a big leap into the unknown ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.