Fabinho is “on the verge” of leaving Liverpool for Al Ittihad despite a concerning delay, and the finer details of the move have been confirmed.
The Reds have already waved goodbye to several notable first-team midfielders this summer including James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and by Keita.
However, interest from Saudi Arabia ensured Jordan Henderson was recently added to that list. The ex-Liverpool skipper joined Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq in a deal worth £12m prior to add-ons.
Fabinho too courted interest from the burgeoning Saudi Pro League. Al Ittihad – the club that signed N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema – sized up the Brazilian.
The move was understood to be advanced, though the Athletic’s David Ornstein recently reported a delay was holding up proceedings.
Ornstein clarified the delay had nothing to do with Fabinho’s two French bulldogs. Other outlets in the media had speculated Saudi Arabia would deny entry for the midfielder’s two pets given dangerous and aggressive dogs such as rottweilers and pit bulls are prohibited in the country.
Instead, the stall was understood to revolve around the documentation in the deal. However, according to a fresh update from Fabrizio Romano, it’s full steam ahead and the finish line is in sight.
Romano tweeted Fabinho is “closing in” on joining Al Ittihad and will soon undergo a medical.
The paperwork that caused the initial concerns must still be checked and ratified, though there aren’t expected to be any issues moving forward.
As such, Romano declared the transfer is “very close” to concluding and is “on [the] verge of being completed.”
Transfer fee and contract length confirmed
The trusted reporter stated Fabinho will sign a three-year deal with Al Ittihad, though how much he’ll earn is yet to be confirmed.
The transfer fee Liverpool will receive has come to light, however.
The Reds will remarkably generate £40m according to the Athletic. That is a significant sum given Fabinho is now 29 and coming off the back of unquestionably his worst season in a Liverpool shirt to date.
Liverpool paid an initial £39m (rising to £43.7m) when signing Fabinho from Monaco back in 2018. As such, they’ll virtually break even on a player who if last season is anything to go by, is very much on the decline.
