
And that has encouraged Anfield boss Kenny Dalglish to believe he can tie up a shock deal within the next 48 hours.
The Reds are closing in on the England international after upping their offer to £18.5million at the weekend.
Now Sunderland have indicated they are ready to do business, and with Henderson due to fly off on England Under-21 duty tomorrow, Dalglish is keen to wrap up the transfer before then.
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is resigned to losing his talented young star - who was also a target for Manchester United last summer - and he ready to splash half the cash Henderson's sale will raise on Old Trafford pair Darron Gibson and Wes Brown.
Bruce would also like to sign United striker Danny Welbeck, who spent the whole of last season on loan at the Stadium of Light, and that has made the deal for Henderson possible.
Henderson, 20, is keen on a move to Anfield.
He still has four years left on his contract, but Liverpool are ready to pay him around £4m a season - four times his current wages.
His capture will signal the start of a busy summer for Dalglish, who believes he can also win a fight with United and other big hitters for Blackburn defender Phil Jones.
The Reds boss has also upped his original offer for Newcastle left-back Jose Enrique to £8m, while he has entered negotiations for talented young Ipswich striker Connor Wickham.
Aston Villa's Stewart Downing remains on his wish list, as does Blackpool target Charlie Adam, and the Liverpool manager hopes to finance a summer of spending by raising around £30m in sales, plus an injection of around £40m from the club's American owners.
Dalglish is equally confident his number two Steve Clarke will spurn any attempts by Chelsea to persuade him to return to Stamford Bridge when they appoint a new manager.
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