Like Fabinho, he was also a champion with Liverpool and will now leave through the back door

Brazilian midfielder Fabinho has joined Al Ittihad from Liverpool on a three-year contract, the Saudi club announced on Monday. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but British media reported that the Saudi Pro League champions paid around 40 million pounds ($51.33 million) for the 29-year-old.

Fabinho will join Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema and former Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante at the Jeddah-based club. The Brazil international made 219 appearances for Liverpool since his arrival in 2018 and helped them win the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

Jordan Henderson also left Liverpool last week to join Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi professional league has become an attractive destination for high-profile players since Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr in January in a deal reported to be worth around $220 million a year.

Goodbye

While all the spotlight is on Fabinho, the player who won the FA Cup last year with the Reds Nat Philips is also all set to leave and sign for Leeds United for a fee of around $8m that will earn the Anfield club.