Pompey rivals Sunderland 'working on sensational deal' to bring Champions League and Premier League-winning skipper to Stadium of Light
The Champions League star reveals he is ‘open’ to joining Pompey’s rivals
As if Pompey were not struggling enough in contending with the talent of the Championship, their rivals could well make the pool of players even more impressive after it emerged that the former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was ‘open’ to returning to Sunderland.
The Blues played the Black Cats earlier this season, losing 3-1 to Regis Le Bris’s club at Fratton Park at the end of August. Following an own goal from Zak Swanson, Alan Browne and Romaine Mundle added to the visitors’s scorecard in PO4.
But, they could soon boast the acquisition of further talent after Football Insider revealed that the Stadium of Light side are working on a deal to re-sign the 34-year-old Premier League and Champions League-winning captain.
Henderson left the Stadium of Light club in 2011 after signing a big-money move to Liverpool. After playing 79 times on Wearside, he went on to make 492 appearances for the Reds during his 12 year spell, winning the Premier League, Champions League, Fifa Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and four domestic trophies.
However, since departing Anfield in 2023, he has struggled to settle with a short spell at Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq resulting in a move back to Europe with Ajax.
The midfielder has made 12 appearances across all competitions so far this campaign but, despite being a regular starter in Francesco Farioli’s side, sources have indicated that the England international would welcome a return to his youth club, in spite of the drop in level.
The report adds that Henderson believes he could play a crucial role in Sunderland’s push for promotion and it has been understood that the Dutch outfit would not stand in his way should the midfielder want to depart the club half-way through the season.
Sunderland are said to be ready to offer a short-term deal for Henderson, with the option to extend at the end of the season, with the midfielder currently under contract in Amsterdam until 2026.
Pompey’s Championship rivals currently sit top of the table on 19 points, having won six of their nine fixtures. Le Bris’ squad currently has an average age of just 22.9 and is is thought that a potential reunion between the Wearside club and Henderson is on the cards so the ex-Reds skipper can help guide the young group back to the Premier League for the first time since the 2016/17 season.
The Fratton Park side will next be facing Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on January 5 when, following the opening of the January transfer window, Henderson could have made his grand return.