Kaveh Solhekol has told Sky Sports News that Fabinho’s prospective departure from Liverpool is ‘getting very close’.
The Brazil midfielder hasn’t travelled with Jurgen Klopp’s squad to Germany for their pre-season training camp, amid a mooted £40m move to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.
Jordan Henderson might also be swapping Merseyside for the Middle East, with Florian Plettenberg stating on Wednesday night that the two transfers could be finalised this coming weekend.
While Solhekol claimed that the captain’s future will rest solely on his decision, he believes that Fabinho could be on the brink of confirming the end of his five-year Liverpool stay.
The journalist told Sky Sports News that the 29-year-old is ‘close to moving to Al-Ittihad’, adding: “He’s not on Liverpool’s pre-season tour, so that one is getting very close.”
It was telling that Fabinho didn’t travel with the Reds to Germany, whereas Henderson did, so it has seemed for a few days now that the Brazilian is closing in on a transfer to Saudi Arabia.
His departure will leave Klopp and Jorg Schmadtke with the substantial task of acquiring an adequate replacement, although the 29-year-old can look back on his time on Merseyside with a sense of great pride in what he helped the team to achieve in his 219 appearances for us since 2018.
You can see Solhekol’s comments on Fabinho below (from 1:12), via @SkySportsPL on Twitter:
Will Jordan Henderson and Fabinho both leave Liverpool for Saudi Arabia? 🔴🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/fC0g8TpVZi
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 20, 2023