European giants keen on signing Liverpool star Fabinho if move to Saudi Arabia collapses: Reports

Bayern Munich might swoop in for Liverpool powerhouse Fabinho, should the Brazilian's much-hyped move to Saudi Arabia crumble, according to Florian Plettenberg.

Indeed, while Al-Ittihad's generous £40 million offer had heads turning at Anfield, there's a rumour suggesting that the Munich giants have cast an eye on the midfielder. And while Fabinho seems almost set to ride off into the Arabian sunset - medical done and dotted lines poised for signature - nothing is definite until the deal is announced.

Sky's Florian Plettenberg tosses a curveball into the almost-completed deal. While the Merseysiders are looking to confirm the defensive midfielder's deal over the weekend, Plettenberg insists that Bayern Munich are lurking in the shadows.

Plettenberg revealed this on Twitter, further underlining the warm ties Bayern chiefs enjoy with Fabinho's agent Jorge Mendes:

"If the deal falls through, he would be interesting for Bayern! He fits into the profile. Bosses have a top relation to his agent Jorge Mendes."

It might not be the Arabian sands, but instead a move to the Bundesliga for Fabinho. Either way, for the Brazilian, it seems like his time at Liverpool is all but over. This follows a season where he struggled to hit his usual heights, as the team's poor showing saw them fail to reach the Champions League.

Although he started 31 Premier League games last season, the 29-year-old was substituted off 11 times, revealing Jurgen Klopp's lack of trust in the defensive midfielder. In earlier seasons, he had not been substituted off the field more than five times throughout a Premier League campaign.

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Jurgen Klopp plans reinforcements for Liverpool: 9 names on the radar

Jurgen Klopp

As manager Jurgen Klopp buckles down to rebuild his midfield ranks, no less than nine names are swirling around Anfield's corridors. With Jordan Henderson and Fabinho almost certainly set to leave the club, Klopp is faced with the daunting task of reconfiguring the midfield.

Liverpool began their summer manoeuvres with a bang, securing the signatures of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, from Brighton and RB Leipzig, respectively.

It was a combined outlay nearing a whopping £95 million. However, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, and Naby Keita already waving their Anfield goodbyes, the departure of Henderson and Fabinho looks set to affect squad depth.

According to The Sun, Klopp has already rolled out his blueprint for Liverpool's midfield purchases in the summer transfer window.

His 'nine-man shortlist of potential midfield targets' include Sofyan Amrabat, Ryan Gravenberch, Kalvin Phillips, and Romeo Lavia. These were the lads on Klopp's radar even before Henderson and Fabinho’s rumoured departure came about.

However, with the latest developments, five new names have been added: Moises Caicedo, Cheick Doucoure, Aurelien Tchouameni, Joao Palhinha, and Khephren Thuram. It's a lot of options and a lot of thinking to do for the Reds ahead of the upcoming season.