Liverpool’s summer recruitment has continued with the pursuit of Newcastle’s Georginio Wijnaldum. According to Sky Sports, the Reds have had a £25 million bid accepted and it looks as if there won’t be any holdups.
It is difficult to deny that Newcastle were very disappointing last season. What is even more difficult to refute is that Georginio Wijnaldum was one of very few shining lights in the doom and gloom. Relegation can destroy clubs but a fan base as strong and powerful as Newcastle’s will know that they’ll be back in the Premier League before long.
Part of being relegated, however, is losing some of your best players. Fabricio Coloccini is returning to Argentina to join San Lorenzo, Wijnaldum is set for a Liverpool move and Moussa Sissoko is also highly likely to leave Newcastle this summer.
Wijnaldum’s brother, Giordon has all but confirmed the transfer with this tweet:
Wijnaldum will be the latest addition to a Liverpool lineup already stacked with creative talent. It is uncertain what role the Dutchman will serve under Jürgen Klopp with there being so many attacking midfielders already at the club. Some seem to believe that he could slot in as a central midfielder and while he certainly do a job in central midfield his talents be more appreciated further forward.
Last season, Wijnaldum finished as Newcastle’s highest goalscorer with 11 in all competitions.
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Liverpool have accepted a bid of £13 million from Premier League side Stoke City for midfielder Joe Allen, that’s according to Sky Sports.
It is reported that talks between the clubs are at an advanced stage with the offer matching the Reds’ valuation of the Welshman. Allen was reportedly subject to interest from boyhood club Swansea City – who had an £8 million bid for him rejected last month – however, it seems that Stoke are in pole position to land his signature.
Allen’s future at Liverpool has looked uncertain for a while now as he’s struggled to nail himself down a regular place in the Reds squad and his contract has reached it’s final year. With no new offer on the table and a desire to play more first team football, it would perhaps be easy to see why the 26-year-old would see his future elsewhere.
Allen was part of the first Wales international squad to compete in a competitive tournament this summer as Chris Coleman’s men reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016, with the midfielder’s performances in France clearly catching the eyes of a number of clubs.
Allen’s performances also caught the eyes of a lot of Liverpool fans, amongst which he’s known as the “Welsh Pirlo”. A good number of Reds fans would still like to see the Welshman stay and be given a chance under manager Jürgen Klopp. However, the likelihood of that happening has moved from slim to nearly impossible with this latest piece of news as Allen looks to be on his way to the Potters.
Should the deal be completed, the midfielder will become the 8th player to leave the club this summer as Klopp’s squad overhaul continues.
It is, however, important for the Reds boss to keep in mind that building can be just as effective as destroying, so it’d be safe to at least expect a replacement for the “Welsh Pirlo”.
According to the Daily Mail, Jon Flanagan is considering spending time on loan at Burnley. The move would allow him to stay in the Premier League while playing regular football.
Liverpool’s homegrown fullback signed a new contract in March and Klopp has previously mentioned how he believes that there is a future at the club for Flanagan.
This move would allow Klopp to cut down on his squad for the 2016/17 season while still having the possibility of bringing him back for the following season where Liverpool will hopefully be in the Champions League.