24 July 2023 , 21:22
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Al-Ettifaq are set to sign Moussa Dembele, the Lyon striker, as Steven Gerrard's first new addition since becoming manager.
The ex- Celtic hero, who played in the Premier League for Fulham and also represented Spanish heavyweights Atletico Madrid for a spell in 2021, is a free agent after being released by Lyon last month and has been searching for a new club.
Dembele, 27, was often tipped to join Manchester United during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's reign at Old Trafford but he's now accepted a four-year deal in Saudi Arabia, multiple reports say. Al-Ettifaq are also poised to snap up Scotland international defender Jack Hendry, who currently plays for Belgian outfit Club Brugge.
However, the Saudi club are still waiting to complete their capture of Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who like fellow Reds midfielder Fabinho - close to joining Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad - is seeing his move to the Middle East delayed.
Henderson, 33, is poised to join Al-Ettifaq on a lucrative contract which will see him earn a staggering sum of £700,000 per week. The England international left Liverpool's pre-season training camp last Wednesday before undergoing medical tests in Manchester two days later. But with Gerrard's squad currently in Croatia, Henderson is yet to link up with his former Reds team-mate and the man he succeeded as captain at Anfield eight years ago.
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Henderson is still expected to join, who remain winless after four pre-season friendlies under the Liverpool legend. The 33-year-old will more than quadruple his wages with the switch to Saudi, but it's not come without criticism.
Henderson was viewed as one of the Premier League's strongest allies for the LGBT+ community, but is moving to a country where being homosexual or transgender remains illegal. Anyone who identifies as LGBT+ in Saudi Arabia can be subjected to severe penalties.
Have your say! Who should Steven Gerrard target for a transfer next? Give us your picks in the comments section.
Moussa Dembele will sign a four-year deal with Al-Ettifaq (Philippe Lecoeur/FEP/Icon Sport via Getty Images)A Liverpool LGBT+ supporters group, Kop Outs, issued a strong statement saying that they were "appalled and concerned" following the news of Henderson's imminent transfer. "When someone's made a fortune, should money tempt them to go to work?" they added.
"Maybe they should be asking themselves those questions. We hope that Jordan Henderson proves to be a man of his word and stays true to the values of our club, which so far he has been an absolute embodiment of."
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has remained relatively tight-lipped on the move, although he did note ahead of the Reds' first pre-season friendly last week: "As long as things are not really finally decided, we don't have to talk about it.
"There will be a moment where we probably have to talk about it, but it's not now. I don't know that anything is decided, which means nothing to say in the moment. In the end, all of these decisions [over players] are made by me. And because I respect the players a lot, it’s usually with consent. It was in this case, and it is all fine."