Atletico Madrid have reportedly entered a transfer battle alongside West Ham United, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United to sign Georginio Wijnaldum in the summer.
According to Fichajes, Atletico Madrid have joined the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, who is also a transfer target for a host of Premier League clubs including West Ham, Aston Villa and Newcastle United ahead of the summer transfer window.
Georginio Wijnaldum joined Paris Saint-Germain on a Bosman move last summer after running down his contract at Liverpool. However, the switch has not transpired as planned for the 31-year-old, who has struggled to make an impression this season.
The 31-year-old has failed to nail down a place in the PSG first team and has struggled for minutes this season, with PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino preferring Marco Verratti, Danilo Pereira, Ander Herrera and Leandro Paredes ahead of him.
With consistent game time continuing to evade the well-rounded midfielder, a move away from Parc des Princes could well be on the cards this summer. Indeed, the likes of West Ham, Aston Villa and Newcastle United have shown an interest in bringing Wijnaldum back to familiar English shores. Now, La Liga giants Atletico Madrid have also joined the bandwagon of suitors.
The Colchoneros are paying close attention to the Dutch international’s situation, with Diego Simeone aiming to revamp the club’s midfield depth. Wijnaldum could thus be a perfect candidate to anchor the midfield at the Wanda Metropolitan, considering the Dutchman’s undoubted quality and vast experience to perform at the top level.
The La Liga giants could face stiff competition from West Ham United. David Moyes’s side, like Atletico, lacks quality depth in the middle of the park behind the starting pair of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, with Mark Noble well into his thirties and Alex Kral expected to return to Spartak Moscow at the end of the season after an unsuccessful loan stint in East London, making Wijnaldum a viable target.
As for Aston Villa, they have shown great pulling power in the market since the arrival of Steven Gerrard in the dugout, signing high profile players like Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne last month. The Villans are expected to sell Douglas Luiz in the summer, with the Brazilian attracting widespread interest and into the final 18 months of his Villa deal. So Gerrard could utilise his past Liverpool connections to bring in Wijnaldum as a suitable replacement.
Meanwhile, a glorified return to St. James’ Park cannot be ruled out either for Wijnaldum. The Magpies have been strongly linked with the former Liverpool starlet in January, but a move never materialised with the player holding reservations about Newcastle’s predicament. However, things may be different on Tyneside come summer should they retain Newcastle Premier League status, and acquiring a player of Wijnaldum’s pedigree could help them push up the table next season.
The 31-year-old is contracted with PSG until 2024, but with the player frustrated with his situation, he could yet end up pushing through a move away from the French capital. With seemingly no shortage of suitors, it will be interesting to see where the Dutch international ends up moving this summer.