Liverpool Football Club has confirmed that Fabinho will not be joining the squad for their pre-season tour in Germany. The Brazilian midfielder had a challenging season in 2022-23, not performing at the level he had previously shown during his first four seasons at Liverpool. A tempting £40 million offer from Al-Ittihad, the reigning champions of the Saudi Pro League, has been made for Fabinho, presenting significant value for Liverpool. Despite initially including Fabinho in their travel plans, the club has decided to exclude him from the squad heading to Germany on July 15, signaling the end of his five-year tenure at Anfield. Liverpool has granted Fabinho permission to negotiate his departure with the Saudi Arabian club, which is owned by the nation's Public Investment Fund, the same entity holding a majority stake in Newcastle United. Fabinho joined Liverpool in July 2018 from Monaco for a reported fee of around £39 million, and he has since played a vital role in the club's success, including winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. There are also reports suggesting that Jordan Henderson, Liverpool's captain, is a target for Al-Ettifaq, a team recently managed by former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. It is believed that the 32-year-old England international has accepted a substantial weekly salary of £700,000 to join Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq. However, no official bid has been submitted for Henderson yet, so he was included in the squad for the Germany trip and the subsequent pre-season tour to Singapore. Liverpool has been in the process of rebuilding their midfield following the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The club has made signings such as Argentina international Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig. They were also considering long-term successors to Fabinho, with Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, 19, among the options. However, if Liverpool loses the experience of Fabinho and potentially Henderson, it is expected to impact the club's transfer strategy and shift their focus.
