Fabinho's proposed move from Liverpool to Al-Ittihad is reportedly back on after talks briefly hit a standstill.
The Brazil international was believed to have been the subject of a £40m bid from the Saudi Arabian champions earlier this month, and he was left out of the Reds' squad for their pre-season trip to Germany.
Fabinho was expected to finalise his switch to the Gulf state during the Reds' recent training camp, but negotiations between Liverpool and Al-Ittihad were allegedly at risk of collapsing due to disagreements over payment terms.
However, The Times journalist Paul Joyce now claims that the two clubs have since reignited conversations, and the consensus is that Fabinho will be an Al-Ittihad player before the end of the window.
Jurgen Klopp will soon take his side to Singapore for a pair of friendlies with Leicester City and Bayern Munich, and Fabinho is not expected to be named in the travelling party for that trip either.
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The 29-year-old has established a reputation as one of the Premier League's finest defensive midfielders since making the move to Anfield from Monaco in 2018, playing a major role in Liverpool's spate of trophy wins under Klopp.
Fabinho has 11 goals and 10 assists to his name from 219 matches in a Reds jersey, winning the Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Community Shield in that time.
The Brazil international set up two strikes in 49 matches during the 2022-23 campaign, although he came under fire for a noticeable decline in performances as Liverpool finished outside the top four.
The emergence of Stefan Bajcetic led to greater competition for minutes in Liverpool's midfield, although the Reds are still expected to sign a replacement for Fabinho should his transfer go through.
With Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo proving too expensive and also being pursued by Chelsea, Liverpool have supposedly earmarked Southampton's Romeo Lavia as their number one choice to succeed Fabinho.
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However, the Merseyside club have already failed with one bid for the Belgian starlet, believed to be an upfront fee of £34m with another £4m in performance-related add-ons.
The Reds are expected to approach Southampton with a revised offer for Lavia, who is said to be valued at £50m by the Championship club, and the Saints are under no pressure to sell on the cheap with his contract running for another four years.
Liverpool lost all of Naby Keita, Arthur, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner when their contracts ran out in June, and the Reds have also now waved goodbye to Jordan Henderson.
Klopp's former captain has linked up with Steven Gerrard's Al Ettifaq in a £12m deal, confirming his departure one day before Liverpool officially announced his move to the Middle East.
Ben Knapton
