Liverpool medical set after player leaves training camp ahead of huge summer transfer

Jordan Henderson will undergo a medical on Saturday after leaving a Liverpool pre-season training camp in Germany ahead of his lavish move to Al-Ettifaq.

Henderson will bring to an end a 12-year stay at Anfield after being offered £700,000 a week by Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.

The Liverpool captain has faced intense criticism for his decision to move to Saudi Arabia after becoming a vocal LGBT+ supporter, with many feeling he is selling his soul and turning his back on those morals.

READ MORE: Did Saudi-bound Jordan Henderson become an LGBT+ ally by mistake?

But a deal is in place after Henderson agreed to the terms and Liverpool held out for a £12m fee from Al-Ettifaq.

The 33-year-old is thought to have rejected a ‘last-ditch plea’ from Jurgen Klopp to stay, with suggestions that an expected reduction in playing time is the driving force behind Henderson’s thinking rather than money.

Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have arrived in an ambitious midfield summer rebuild and Henderson reportedly feared that his playing opportunities would suffer as a result.

He was nevertheless selected for Liverpool’s pre-season training camp in Germany, unlike fellow Saudi target Fabinho, as the Reds waited for the transfer to move along.

But after they came to an agreement with Al-Ettifaq over money, Henderson has reportedly been released to undergo medical tests in London.

Saudi media outlet Al-Riyadiah say Henderson will undergo ‘necessary medical examinations’ in the capital, with an appointment arranged on Saturday ‘in one of the specialised centers’.

Klopp has kept his cards close to his chest in terms of public comments on Henderson, simply saying: “In the end, all of these decisions are made by me. And because I respect the players a lot, it’s usually [with their] consent. It was in this case, and it is all fine.

READ MORE: Liverpool could hijack Chelsea move or sign Lavia AND Doucoure as two £80m transfer plans emerge

“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. But that’s even better for you because you can speculate, which is much more fun! If I say something then it’s finished.”

Klopp is thought to have written up a nine-man shortlist of midfield targets to help replace Henderson and Fabinho.

Southampton teenager Romeo Lavia has been most frequently linked with Liverpool, while Crystal Palace star Cheick Doucoure, Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina and Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips are known to be of particular interest.

Saudi Arabian clubs have also targeted Thiago Alcantara and Luis Diaz because Liverpool clearly did something to hurt them at some point.