Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum looks set to leave Anfield this summer, as the 30-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
The Netherlands international has been at Liverpool since joining from Newcastle United in the summer of 2016 for £25m, having impressed in his first and only season at St James’ Park, despite the Magpies getting relegated.
Barcelona have been heavily linked to the Dutch midfielder since rumours began that he is going to let his contract expire.
The 30-year-old is said to have a really good relationship with Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman, having teamed up together when the former Everton man was manager of the Dutch national team.
This signing would be ideal for Barcelona, as it is no secret that they are cash strapped in the current financial climate, so ultimately the signing of the Liverpool man would save them a lot of money as they wouldn’t have to pay a transfer fee.
Another factor is that they also tend to lack energy in the midfield, as Miralem Pjanic and Sergio Busquets are aged deep-lying playmakers and lack pace and athleticism which is something Wijnaldum has in abundance.
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Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan are also rumoured to be after Wijnaldum, as they look to improve the quality and depth of their midfield.
Conte tends to use the likes of Nicolo Barella and Marcelo Brozovic in midfield, with Arturo Vidal due to injury, proving that Conte lacks faith in other options such as Stefano Sensi who has started just once for Inter this campaign and Roberto Gagliardini, who has made 21 appearances this campaign, with 11 of them coming from the bench.
Wijnaldum would essentially give Conte four high-quality midfield options which would be vital considering the Italian manager varies between the 5-2-3 and 5-2-1-2 formations, which means that anyone who plays in the midfield must have a lot of energy and quality on the ball if Inter’s game plan is to be successful.
Inter have tended to sign a lot of former Premier League players with the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez and Aleksandar Kolarov all plying their trade at the San Siro. Wijnaldum is priced at 8/1 to join Conte’s side.
Losing Wijnaldum would be a big blow for Liverpool, as the Dutchman has been a key cog in the midfield at Anfield which has seen them win the Champions League in 2019 in Madrid, as well as the Premier League last campaign.
It would not be a surprise to see Liverpool offer the 30-year-old a bigger contract in a last gasp attempt to keep the former Feyenoord man, as in the current financial climate, a hefty chunk of Jurgen Klopp’s transfer budget would have to be spent on an adequate replacement.
With Wijnaldum’s current deal having just under three months left, a new contract would essentially mean that he would more than likely see out the rest of his career at Anfield, potentially missing out on the chance to play for another big club in Europe’s top five league
