03 July 2023 , 21:57
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Steven Gerrard has taken charge at Al-Ettifaq and wants to lure Jordan Henderson to the Saudi Arabia outfit.
The former Aston Villa boss is looking to raid Villa Park as he seeks a reunion with Philippe Coutinho, whom he signed during his time in the Midlands. Clubs in Saudi's Pro League have been investing heavily as the Kingdom seeks to raise the profile of its domestic scene.
Al-Ettifaq are looking to keep up with the competition and, alongside their pursuit of Coutinho, whom Villa want to get off their wage bill, Alvaro Morata is also being eyed up. But Gerrard's most ambitious target is Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson, according to the Daily Mail.
Gerrard played alongside Henderson in the twilight of his career when the former Sunderland man was still establishing himself. The Liverpool skipper has been a stalwart of the recent success at Anfield and retains a strong relationship with Jurgen Klopp.
Henderson also has two years left on his deal at Liverpool and it remains to be seen whether he could be convinced to jump ship. The Reds are in the midst of a midfield rebuild and the 33-year-old could see his minutes limited going forward.
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Al-Ettifaq and Gerrard are also weighing up a move for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who is out of favour at Chelsea. The 34-year-old forward may be tempted by a major pay day towards the end of his career whilst the Blues would be open to offloading the Gabon man.
Gerrard and Henderson played together at Liverpool (Liverpool Echo)Meanwhile Morata, who previously played for Chelsea, faces an uncertain future at Atletico Madrid with the LaLiga outfit ready to sell him on the cheap. Morata though is attracting interest from teams in Italy despite initial discussions being held over a switch to Saudi Arabia.
Champions League semi-finalists Inter Milan and Jose Mourinho's Roma are both keen on Morata, who has proven himself previously in Serie A with Juventus. It may come down to the player's motivation with clubs in the Middle East offering huge wages that not all European clubs can match.
Saudi's sovereign wealth fund Public Invest Fund (PIF) have taken control of four of the Pro League's biggest clubs - Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli. That has allowed them to bring in major names on big money, but Gerrard's outfit are confident they can still compete.
Alvaro Morata could leave Atletico Madrid this summer (Getty Images)Cristiano Ronaldo moved east in January whilst Karim Benzema, Ruben Neves, N'Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly have all joined him. There is increased concern over the financial power of teams from Saudi Arabia poaching talent from the Premier League and other clubs in Europe.
Gary Neville has aired major concerns and called for an embargo on clubs selling their players to Saudi Arabia, often for inflated prices. The Premier League has not done so but has stuck by its procedures which review each transfer to assess whether or not they're going for market value.
He told the BBC : “The Premier League should put an instant embargo on transfers to Saudi Arabia to ensure the integrity of the game isn’t being damaged. Checks should be made on the appropriateness of the transactions. If it comes through that process, obviously transfers could open up again."