Fabinho has been dropped from Liverpool’s squad for the Germany training camp after Saudi club Al Ittihad made a £40m ($52m) offer for the Brazil international.
However, captain Jordan Henderson traveled to the Black Forest on Saturday as discussions continue over his future.
The decision to remove Fabinho from the camp was taken jointly on Friday evening to clarify the situation after the offer was presented.
The 29-year-old midfielder, who has made 219 appearances for Liverpool since arriving from Monaco in 2018, has not refused to travel but would like to join Saudi Arabia after productive talks on personal terms.
Should the deal with Fabinho go through as expected, Liverpool would step up their search for a new midfielder.
They retain an interest in Southampton’s Romeo Lavia but think his £50million asking price is excessive.
Liverpool had their eye on a long-term successor for Fabinho but now they need someone who can fit right into Jurgen Klopp’s side. This could now change the profile of the targeted player.
Moises Caicedo is not seen as a serious option as the Brighton midfielder is expected to join Chelsea.
However, alongside Lavia, Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat, Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch and Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips are also in talks.
Henderson has verbally agreed a lucrative three-year deal with Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq, worth nearly £700,000 ($917,000) a week – but with no agreement between the clubs on a transfer fee, he boarded the plane to Germany.
Senior Anfield figures have dismissed suggestions that Henderson, whose current contract has two years left, could either be sold on a free transfer or for a transfer fee of just £10million.
Defender Kalidou Koulibaly, 32, recently joined Al Hilal from Chelsea for around £20m and Liverpool take that figure as a guide.
GO DEEPER
Jordan Henderson’s potential move to Saudi Arabia matters for many more reasons than hypocrisy
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