Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum is the subject of major interest among a host of European clubs including Barcelona and Inter Milan – the Dutchman will be free to begin official communication with either side in the coming weeks.
Wijnaldum, 30, is currently in the final year of his Anfield contract and it remains to be seen whether or not he will extend beyond his previous five-year deal with the Reds.
The former Newcastle United midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona last summer following the arrival of his former national team boss Ronald Koeman.
However, reports in Italy suggest that Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte is also keen on landing the soon-to-be out-of-contract star in the coming months.
“That would be the goal: to put up a little cash with which to attack the targets that Conte likes,” journalist Enzo Bucchioni told Tuttomercatoweb.
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“In particular, there is a tug-of-war with Barcelona for the Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum, 30 years old and expiring with Liverpool.
“Giuseppe Marotta has in mind to repeat an operation similar to the one carried out last January with Eriksen; there is talk of fifteen million for the English.
“But the midfielder is very much liked by the former Dutch coach who would like him in Spain and the player is thinking about it.”
What RTK has to say
We just cannot get our heads around why Liverpool have not made it an immediate priority to have Wijnaldum’s future resolved.
His versatility alone is worth a fortune to the club, let alone his durability. The fact Liverpool chose not to cash-in on Wijnaldum in the summer has proven to be a masterstroke.
Wijnaldum – who currently earns £75,000-a-week according to Spotrac – has proven his worth to Liverpool in recent weeks and it’s time the club recognise that.
While it’s understandable the club want to maintain precedence of not handing out lucrative deals to players over 30, Wijnaldum is just too valuable to lose.
Wijnaldum may indeed still want to leave come the end of the season, we could hardly blame him if he wants a new challenge.
But Liverpool have to do their part and recognise that player’s such as Wijnaldum are near impossible to come by in the market.
Jurgen Klopp has made it clear he is worth fighting for. Hopefully, club officials recognise that before it’s too late.
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