Barcelona have reportedly denied having an agreement to sign Georginio Wijnaldum from Liverpool in the summer transfer window.
According to reputed Spanish journalist Gerard Romero, Barcelona have refuted claims that they have a pre-contract agreement to sign Georginio Wijnaldum. The Dutch international has been heavily linked with a possible exit from Liverpool in the summer transfer window on a free transfer.
Wijnaldum joined Liverpool from Newcastle United in the summer of 2016 and has since grown to become one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League. Over the past half-a-decade or so, the Dutchman has been one of the pillars of success that the Reds have enjoyed under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp.
Till date, the 30-year-old has turned out 226 times for Liverpool and remains a pivotal figure for the reigning Premier League champions. However, his future at Anfield has been mired in uncertainty since the summer, with Wijnaldum stalling on signing a new contract, with his current deal set to run out at the end of the season. Such a situation has ticked off Barcelona.
The Blaugrana were, in fact, linked with a move for Wijnaldum last summer as well, before he ended up staying put at Liverpool. Ahead of the coming window, however, Barcelona’s position in pursuit of the Dutch international has been strengthened further, especially seeing as they have been able to discuss terms over a pre-contract agreement since January.
Reports have even suggested that Barcelona have tabled an offer to sign Wijnaldum and with there being little developments over a renewal at Anfield, it has been claimed that they could sign him on a Bosman deal. The need to sign a midfielder for a second successive summer is well informed as well.
Philippe Coutinho appears to have no future at Barcelona and the former Liverpool midfielder is touted to depart Camp Nou this coming summer. In addition, Sergio Busquets is on the wrong side of 30 and approaching the final phase of his career while Riqui Puig and Carles Alena – currently on loan at Getafe – have question marks over their futures, having been used sparingly by Ronald Koeman.
As a result, it is not hard to see why Barcelona are after Wijnaldum, and it was suggested that they had even reached a pre-contract agreement to snap him up. However, these claims have now been refuted by the reliable Gerard Romero, who says Barcelona have denied closing any agreement with the Liverpool contract rebel.
Meanwhile, Liverpool, on their part, also seem to be planning for life after Wijnaldum, with Yves Bissouma linked with a summer switch as a possible replacement. Having said that, it remains to be seen if Barcelona do launch the offensive for Wijnaldum or if Liverpool end up keeping hold of him.