Fabinho absent from Liverpool pre-season training camp, Jordan Henderson travels amid Saudi interest

Fabinho has been left out of Liverpool’s squad for their training camp in Germany after Saudi club Al Ittihad tabled a £40 million ($52 million) bid for the Brazil international.

However, captain Jordan Henderson travelled to the Black Forest on Saturday as discussions over his future continue.

The decision to remove Fabinho from the camp was taken collectively on Friday night in order to resolve the situation after the offer was tabled.

The 29-year-old midfielder, who has made 219 appearances for Liverpool since arriving from Monaco in 2018, did not refuse to travel but is keen to make the move to Saudi after productive talks over personal terms.

If, as expected, the Fabinho deal goes through then Liverpool would step up their pursuit of a new holding midfielder.

They retain an interest in Southampton’s Romeo Lavia but regard his £50m price tag as excessive.

Liverpool had been eyeing a long-term successor to Fabinho but now they will need someone capable of slotting straight into Jurgen Klopp’s side. As a result the profile of the player they pursue could now change.

Moises Caicedo is not viewed as a serious option with the Brighton midfielder expected to join Chelsea.

However, Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat, Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch and Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips are among those under consideration, along with Lavia.

Henderson has verbally agreed a lucrative three-year contract with Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq worth close to £700,000 ($917,000) per week – but with no agreement between the clubs over a fee he boarded the plane for Germany.

Senior Anfield figures have dismissed suggestions that Henderson, who has two years remaining on his current deal, could either be granted a free transfer or sold for a fee as low as £10m.

Defender Kalidou Koulibaly, 32, recently moved from Chelsea to Al Hilal for around £20m and Liverpool regard that figure as a reference point.

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