Liverpool defender Jeremie Frimpong offered to Al-Hilal as Dutchman opens door to shock Anfield exit just 18 months after €40m transfer

Liverpool full-back Jeremie Frimpong has been proposed to Saudi Pro League heavyweights Al-Hilal as he contemplates a surprise move away from Merseyside after just 18 months. Recruited from Bayer Leverkusen for €40 million in the summer of 2025, the 25-year-old Netherlands international is receptive to starting a new chapter in the Middle East.

Saudi giants offered Dutch defender

According to winwin, intermediaries have put Frimpong forward as a target for Al-Hilal, with the defender ready to leave England less than two years into his long-term contract. Brought in to succeed Trent Alexander-Arnold following the academy graduate’s switch to Real Madrid, the Dutchman has struggled to replicate his finest form at Anfield. Consequently, a switch to the Saudi Pro League has emerged as a genuine possibility.

Persistent injuries derail Merseyside spell

Frimpong arrived in England with a strong pedigree after scoring 23 goals across 133 Bundesliga outings for Leverkusen, where he helped clinch an unbeaten league title and DFB-Pokal double in 2023-24 alongside the 2024 DFL-Supercup. However, his maiden season on Merseyside yielded just 35 appearances in all competitions, including 21 top-flight games without a single Premier League goal.

Across that first campaign, his only two strikes came on his competitive bow against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield and later in the FA Cup. Fitness setbacks have repeatedly disrupted his rhythm, most recently when he suffered a fresh muscular injury moments after coming on as a half-time substitute during a 2-1 victory over Brentford on October 17.

International omissions compound club struggles

Those ongoing domestic and physical struggles have also cost the defender his place on the international stage with the Netherlands, for whom he has won 15 senior caps and scored once. Former national team manager Ronald Koeman left him out of the squad for the 2026 World Cup due to performance concerns.

His absence from the Oranje setup has continued under current head coach Xavi, who excluded the injured right-back from his selection for the November international window. While Frimpong remains on the treatment table in Liverpool, his compatriots will travel to face Greece on November 14 before visiting the Olympiastadion in Berlin to take on rivals Germany three days later.

Reds face London test next

Still sidelined by the muscle issue sustained against Brentford last month, Frimpong will miss out again when Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool visit Crystal Palace on Premier League Matchday 10 this Sunday. Following that trip to south London, the domestic schedule will pause for the final international break of the calendar year. That fortnight will give the Dutchman time to work on his recovery while weighing up a potential January move to Saudi Arabia.