Fabinho has been left out of Liverpool’s squad for their pre-season training camp in Germany and is on the verge of ending a five-year spell with the club.

Al Hilal, the Saudi side managed by Nuno Espírito Santo, have made a substantial offer to the Brazil international and Liverpool feel it is prudent to let Fabinho stay on Merseyside while negotiations continue discussion of the possibility of selling him continued.

It is a pivotal moment for Liverpool, as Fabinho – often referred to as ‘The Hoover’ by Jurgen Klopp – has been an integral part of their team since he arrived from Monaco in 2018 and established himself. I am one of the best midfielders in the business.

If Fabinho leaves, Liverpool will need to replace him and they are looking at a number of options including Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch and Fiorentina’s Moroccan powerhouse Sofyan Amrabat, who has also been linked. with Manchester United.

Another surprising candidate on Liverpool’s list is Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips. However, the business viability of the clubs remains to be seen – there have been no transfers between them since Raheem Sterling moved to The Etihad from Anfield in July 2015.

Moses Caicedo has been persistently linked with Liverpool but is likely to move to Chelsea, while Aurelian Tchouameni – who Liverpool pursued 12 months ago – is said to be difficult to get from Real Madrid this summer.

Jordan Henderson, the Liverpool captain, has traveled to Germany despite speculation surrounding his own future.

Klopp’s side will play their opening pre-season friendly on Wednesday against Karlsruhe, a match that could see new signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai make their first appearances for the club.

travel party: Alisson, Gomez, Van Dijk, Konate, Thiago, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Mac Allister, Salah, Adrian, Henderson, Gakpo, Jota, Tsimikas, Robertson, Matip, Bajcetic, Phillips, Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Pitaluga, Bradley , Clark, Doak, Frauendorf, Jaros, Koumas, McConnell, Mrozek, Quansah, Scanlon.