Liverpool has some big midfield decisions to make this summer with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho potentially adding to Jürgen Klopp and Jörg Schmadtke’s list.

Consider for a moment having a blank canvas to create your dream Liverpool midfield scenario at the end of this summer. Financial limitations come into play, but given the number of midfield possibilities who have already left Anfield — and possibly a few more to depart — that is not far from the situation Jürgen Klopp and Jörg Schmadtke are in.

However, if Liverpool lost Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in addition to James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keta, and Arthur Melo, it would be a significant change. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have also joined the team.

Additionally, Curtis Jones missed more games last season than he did participate in, Stefan Bajeti, who is only 18 years old, suffered a season-ending injury, and Tyler Morton, who recently returned from a season-long loan with Blackburn, have all been mentioned in rumors surrounding Thiago Alcântara’s potential departure (via Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri).

That is the closest thing to a midfield department being completely destroyed and rebuilt from scratch that you can imagine. Although the change would be thrilling in some ways, it would also give rise to many anxieties that it represented too much at once.

But what does Liverpool need going forward? It is mostly dependent on Henderson and Fabinho’s choices, and it is impossible to foresee what will happen next.

Liverpool would need to replace them with an experienced player if even one of the pair were to become injured. For instance, it would be a risk to replace someone of that caliber right away by bringing in the 19-year-old former Manchester City player Roméo Lavia.

Given that Liverpool has already lost its vice-captain in the form of Milner, if both were to depart, a large void would need to be filled in one summer. Leadership is crucial in the dressing room.

The ideal scenario would be to sell Fabinho but keep Henderson because of this and because The Athletic claims that Al-Ittihad would pay an excessive $52 million (£40 million/€47 million) for the 29-year-old Brazilian.

By doing so, Liverpool could raise money to replace its captain without having to let another player take his place and avoid making all the changes at once.

Considering that Liverpool is unlikely to receive a bid of more than $52 million for Fabinho in the future, taking the deal now could make sense financially — but only if a good replacement is accessible and affordable for a reasonable price.

The ideal case would be for an exceptional choice to become available from this point. That might be Moisés Caicedo (who talkSPORT claim may be a possibility if Fabinho goes) or Aurélien Tchouaméni (who Defensa Central claimed this week was a viable option for the Reds as Real Madrid looks to raise the necessary funds to sign Kylian Mbappé). Liverpool may decide to purchase one of them with the money Fabinho brings in.

Caicedo or Tchouaméni would each cost about $105 million (£80 million/€93 million), which is at least twice what Fabinho might be traded for. However, by doing so, the decision to (partially) cash in would also be made, and it would not be left to a less qualified candidate to replace those players. There are numerous moving and plenty of big decisions to be made, but Liverpool has to get the balance right

Current midfield make-up:

More attacking – Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Jones, Elliott

More defensive – Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago, Bajčetić, Morton

Imaginary ‘perfect’ midfield alignment (with Jordan Henderson but without Fabinho):

More attacking – Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Jones, Elliott

More defensive – Caicedo/Tchouaméni/new signing, Henderson, Thiago, Bajčetić, Morton