Jordan Henderson has come under fire from a Liverpool fan group over his potential move, after it emerged he favours going to Saudi Arabia over staying in England.
It has been a busy summer of moves from Europa to the Saudi Pro League already during the current transfer window, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Liverpool players seem to be the flavour of the week with Henderson strongly linked with a move to join Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq.
Fabinho also looks on the verge of moving to the Gulf State, whilst Thiago Alcantara recently turned down a move to the Middle East.
Advert
Whilst there have been bigger names move to the league Ruben Neves' move from Wolverhampton Wanderers is probably the most galling of the transfers so far, considering his dreams of wanting to play in the Champions League.
And there will be another shot in the arm for traditional sporting values if the captain of Liverpool sees the money as more desirable than wearing the armband for one of the world's biggest clubs.
Henderson's move will also be a blow to the LGBT+ community as he has previously been an ally to them but same-sex relationships in Saudi Arabia are illegal.
In a statement on social media, Liverpool LGBT+ fan group Kops Out showed their concern over the transfer rumours, saying: "Kop Outs have valued the allyship shown by Jordan Henderson.
"We are appalled and concerned that anyone might consider working for a sportswashing operation for a regime where women & LGBT+ people are oppressed and that regularly tops the world death sentence table.
"Gerrard's participation in this sportswashing is particularly galling given his previous support for LA Galaxy team-mate Robbie Rogers [who came out as gay in 2013].
"When someone's made a fortune, should money tempt them to go to work? Maybe they should be asking themselves those questions.
"We hope that Jordan Henderson proves to be a man of his word and stays true to the values of our club, which so far he has been an absolute embodiment of."
Speaking as part of the Stonewall campaign in 2019, Henderson said: "This campaign is important if there are still supporters out there who don't feel they can be themselves or, even worse, have to hide who they are for fear of getting abuse or being discriminated against.
"I'm a parent, a husband, a son and a brother and the idea that anyone I love and care about wouldn't feel safe or comfortable coming to watch me play if they were part of the LGBT community makes me wonder what world we live in.
"As long as even one supporter questions whether they are welcome or can enjoy football because of their sexuality, the campaign is important.
"It sends the message: you are welcome, we are on your side and the small minded idiots who make you feel uncomfortable have no place in football. Simple as that."
If he moves to Saudi Arabia then no one from the community he had previously shown support to will question whether they can watch him.
Topics: Football, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours, Liverpool, Transfers, Jordan Henderson, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League
Ryan Sidle