After agreeing an agreement to join Steven Gerrard in Saudi Arabia this week, Jordan Henderson’s future has come into sharp focus, but it appears that Al Ettifaq cannot afford a transfer price.
You must be wondering how it is possible given that Merseyside journalists have reported receiving a weekly salary of £700,000.
Although no formal offer has been made for either the Liverpool captain or Fabinho as of yet, the club views £20 million as the least if they were to approve a transfer.
This Is Anfield was informed by insiders at the Saudi club that they would want to negotiate a lower price, and, incredibly, a free transfer has even been proposed.
The assertion from @EttifaqKSA on Twitter that Al Ettifaq has a transfer budget of 65 million Saudi Riyals, or £13.2 million, this summer would be consistent with this frame of mind.
Even though they have proposed a deal worth up to £35 million in annual wages, the Saudi club “are struggling to meet Liverpool’s demands,” according to Dominic King of The Mail.
APRIL 9, 2023, SUNDAY, LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND: As Arsenal scores a second goal in the FA Premier League game between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield, Liverpool’s captain Jordan Henderson appears defeated. (Propaganda image by David Rawcliffe)
According to Rory Smith of the New York Times, all non-PIF clubs are still owned by the government and continue to “have access to a player signing fund from the Ministry of Sport.”
The NY Times, which mentions Henderson, reports that Saudi Arabia’s sports government set aside almost $800 million (£611 million) to assist improve the league’s squads this summer.
The eye-watering wages certainly indicate that money can be made accessible, but it’s also likely that Al Ettifaq, one of the non-PIF clubs, is only allocated a budget for wages by the government and not for transfer costs.
In either case, Liverpool would want guarantees that they would get the entire sum for Henderson if they accepted a bid after Al Nassr was banned for not making good on unpaid obligations.
There are several factors to take into account with this one, but one thing is for certain: the captain won’t be permitted to leave until Al Ettifaq has made the appropriate payment.