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Jordan Henderson has 18 months left on his contract with Liverpool, while Barcelona will soon be in need of new players after serving a transfer ban this summer. The Metro reports that these factors will lead the Spanish giants to seriously consider signing Henderson on a free transfer next January right before his contract with Liverpool expires.
This is a stunning development for the Reds, with Henderson seeming to be an essential part of the club's long term plans before this news. It's hard to believe that Henderson could now leave Anfield after appearing destined to take over as club captain and commander of the team's midfield, but the Metro's evidence is actually quite solid.
"Barca are known to have had scouts at Anfield matches in recent weeks watching players," writes the Metro's Jamie Sanderson in the report.
Liverpool have not yet issued an official response to the rumors, but it would not be surprising to see Brendan Rodgers play down the Metro's report ahead of the team's upcoming match against Blackburn.
It will be interesting to see how Liverpool handle the potential loss of Henderson. On the bright side, it seems as if the team will have sufficient time to line up a replacement, although they might elect to promote in-house midfielders such as Jordan Rossiter and João Carlos Teixeira to fill the void that Henderson will leave.
