The former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is reportedly offering himself to Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen as he seeks to end his Saudi Arabia move.
Henderson, 33, left Liverpool in the summer to join the growing Saudi Pro League in what was a controversial move and he linked up with former teammate Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq. A £12m move was completed by him and signed a deal that was originally supposed to keep him at the club until 2026 but now he supposedly wants out. His side sit eighth in the Saudi Pro League, some 28 points off leaders Al-Hilal and they haven’t won since October despite boasting names such as Georginio Wijnaldum, Moussa Dembele and Demarai Gray. Henderson was highly criticised for his move as he was labelled a ‘hypocrite’ for going against the LGBTQ+ community after previously being an ambassador and he was ridiculed by fans for claiming his move wasn’t motivated by money, despite the huge pay increase he has received since moving.
According to talkSPORT, he is desperate to return to Europe and is believed to be unhappy at the attendances of league games every week. His lifestyle and the country’s climate is also understood to be a factor in his decision in wanting to part ways. Al-Ettifaq’s stance is that Henderson is not for sale and a loan deal would be difficult for most clubs due to his high wages.
But the clubs linked are Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Juventus, all of whom would be able to afford such high wage fees. However, if he departs within the first two-years of his deal, he would need to pay a tax bill of around £7million due to his sizeable wages. A return to Liverpool reportedly out of the question accordng to the athletic but his eye will almost certainly be on the European Championships in the summer as his place is certainly under threat. The trio of Curtis Jones, Conor Gallagher and the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold also puts his place in doubt with Jude Bellinghamand Declan Rice nailed on to start. He has been a part of the last few England squads, which garnered a lot of criticism given the standard of the Saudi league compared to the Premier League and a move away will almost certainly increase his chances as Gareth Southgate has always supported the former Liverpool midfielder.
