Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson is expected to end speculation about his future after agreeing on a new long-term contract at Anfield.
It was already revealed in July that there was considerable uncertainty about offering Henderson a new contract due to his age – he turned 31 in June – and the door was tentatively opened for a possible sale this summer.
Talks between the two parties have continued since then, and as noted by The Athletic, an agreement has in principle been reached on a three-year contract with the possibility of a fourth.
Nothing has been signed yet, but both Liverpool and Henderson now agree on a new agreement, it is expected to go pretty fast and the once ugly situation can be resolved soon.
Manager Jurgen Klopp is believed to have played an important role in the talks, helped keep tensions low and urged both sides to show a little more flexibility to help agree.
“It’s important but it will happen,” the manager said of Henderson’s contract on Friday. “We will sort it out, whatever it is. We will sort it out. No doubt about it. It will be sorted. ”
Klopp has never wanted to lose Henderson, just as he did not want to see Georginio Wijnaldum leave for Paris Saint-Germain this summer. But Henderson’s fear was that the club’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, was not prepared to show him the same commitment.
Jurgen Klopp helped smooth things over Henderson / Pool / Getty Images
Henderson wanted to make sure Liverpool see him as a leader, both on and off the pitch, and not just an aging midfielder who will become more of a financial burden as he gets older, and it seems he’s finally got those assurances.
With things now going in the right direction, Henderson is expected to become the fifth player to write new terms – after the leadership of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho and Alisson,
The next step for Henderson is to make his first appearance for the season. He was not fit enough to play in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Norwich but is said to have excelled in a friendly behind closed doors against Aston Villa on Sunday.
