Why Jordan Henderson's reunion with Steven Gerrard in Saudi Arabia is unlikely

Jordan Henderson had been linked with a move to Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq, but the Liverpool captain is expected to stay put at Anfield this summer.

One report on Monday claimed that a potential deal between Liverpool's number 14 and the Saudi Pro League side were "very advanced", but that now appears wide of the mark.

According to the Daily Mail, Henderson is "reluctant" to move to the Middle East, despite the prospect of reuniting with his old teammate Gerrard, with the former Reds skipper also supposedly interested in deals for Premier League stars Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Wilfried Zaha.

While Henderson is reportedly unwilling to consider a move to the Saudi Pro League at this stage of his career, Liverpool are also unlikely to sanction a move for him considering they've already parted ways with four midfielders this summer in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, James Milner and Arthur Melo.

READ MORE: Why losing Jordan Henderson this summer would be disastrous for Liverpool

The Mail's report claims that negotiations only reached an "exploratory" stage between Al-Ettifaq and Henderson, while journalist David Lynch has gone one further and claimed that no-one from Gerrard's new club has actually been in contact with Liverpool or Henderson's representatives. Writing for ThisIsAnfield, Lynch says Liverpool have not received any offers for the 33-year-old, whose contract is set to expire in the summer of 2025.

The Reds have already lost four senior midfielders this summer, with Milner's departure in particular seen as a substantial loss to Jurgen Klopp's leadership group at the club. Liverpool are expected to dip further into the market as part of their midfield rebuild, but some reports have suggested that sales will need to be made to offset the arrivals.

If Liverpool are to offload a senior players in the centre of the park, Thiago Alcantara could be the one to make way, with the Spanish midfielder entering the last 12 months of the four-year deal he signed in the summer of 2020.

The former Bayern Munich midfielder has been linked with clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.