Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been linked with a sensational summer switch to Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq - just hours after Steven Gerrard was confirmed as the club's manager.
The 43-year-old legendary Reds captain arrived in London on Monday afternoon as he penned a contract to become the first Englishman to manage in Saudi Arabia.
Sensationally, according to the Daily Mail, Gerrard could look to lure his former team-mate Henderson to the Middle East this summer with the Reds captain having just two years on his current deal at Anfield.
Henderson, who turned 33 last month, has spent 12 years at Liverpool since Kenny Dalglish signed him from boyhood club Sunderland in a £20m deal in 2011. Since succeeding Gerrard as the Reds' captain in the summer of 2015, Henderson has lifted every major honour available at the club during an illustrious period of success under manager Jurgen Klopp.
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However, with the Reds signing both Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai in the aftermath of their disappointing fifth-place finish in the Premier League last time out, Henderson's game time on Merseyside is expected to diminish in the coming seasons when he is expected to fulfil the vacated 'James Milner role' within Klopp's squad.
The report also claims that Gerrard, who has penned a contract until 2025, could target out-of-favour Chelsea forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has managed just three goals in 21 appearances since signing for the Londoners for £10.8m from Barcelona last summer.
If the Gabon international was to move to Al Ettifaq, he would become the latest high-profile figure within the game to swap the European game for the riches of the Gulf State after Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, N'golo Kante and Marcelo Brozavic all made the move to the Saudi Pro League.
Speaking of Gerrard's appointment on Monday, the club's president, Khaled Al -Dabal, said:
"Without a doubt, Gerrard’s presence will be an addition and a quantum leap to our league as he is the first English coach to work in the Roshen League. And God willing, there will be subsequent technical additions to support the team so that Fares Al-Dahna will appear strongly during the new season’s competitions."
