20 July 2023 , 11:09
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Jurgen Klopp could be set to hand Virgil van Dijk the Liverpool captaincy if Jordan Henderson leaves the club after the Dutch defender was given the armband for the Reds' 4-2 win over Karlsruher.
Henderson has previously guided the club to Premier League and Champions League glory as captain but it is now looking increasingly likely that the veteran midfielder will leave Anfield in order to complete a lucrative switch to the Saudi Pro League.
The 33-year-old has been offered a three-year deal worth around £700,000-a-week by Al-Ettifaq, who are now managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. The two clubs have agreed details on a £12million financial package for Henderson's services with just personal terms left to be agreed.
In Henderson's absence, Van Dijk took to the field with the captain's armband for Liverpool's pre-season friendly against Karlsruher on Wednesday night. The Dutchman got the nod to lead a strong squad, indicating that the defender would potentially be at the forefront of Klopp's thoughts if the Reds boss does need to name a new captain in the coming weeks.
Goals from Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and a late brace from Diogo Jota were enough to seal the win for Liverpool, who face Furth in their next tune-up game on Monday.
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It seems unlikely, though, that Henderson will feature in that game either after he was given permission to leave Liverpool's training camp in Germany by Klopp in order to head home and assess his future.
Fabinho is also the subject of interest from the Middle East and is believed to be closing in on a switch to Al-Ittihad. He did not feature in Wednesday night's fixture.
Join the debate! Who do you think should be Liverpool captain if Henderson leaves this summer? Let us know here.
Virgil van Dijk captained Liverpool on Wednesday night in Jordan Henderson's absence (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC)Speaking after the match, Klopp explained the reasoning behind the duo's absence but stressed that nothing has been decided either way despite reports indicating that both players are leaning towards accepting the lucrative offers on the table.
Klopp told the media: "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."
Henderson originally joined Liverpool from Sunderland back in 2011 and signed a new contract as recently as August 2021 following speculation over his long-term future.
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