Liverpool are set to lose 30-year-old Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum to La Liga giants Barcelona.
Barca want to reunite Wijnaldum with Ronald Koeman, who coached the midfielder for the Netherlands national side. The player has his heart set on the move to continue the tradition of Dutch players at Barca.
Wijnaldum will now turn down any new contract offer from Liverpool in order to join Barcelona, according to reports.
The Dutch international was expected to join Catalan club in the summer but the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on club finances meant that Barcelona could not complete a deal for him.
The Reds would like to keep the player but Wijnaldum has his heart already set on a move to Spain, according to the Mirror.
Dutch sources said: “Barcelona has always been a big draw for him. “It’s a similar situation to when Gareth Bale left Tottenham for Real Madrid in that it is his ultimate destination.”
And Liverpool have already prepared for Wijnaldum’s exit by bringing in Thiago Alcantara from Bayern this summer window.
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However, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp would not be drawn on the matter when speaking earlier in the season about the player’s possible exit.
“I have nothing to say about this,” he said. “I’ve said how much I like the person and the player. So, there’s really nothing else to say about it.
“That’s not good or bad news, that’s just how it is. If there’s a decision you’ll know about it. “Apart from that, there’s nothing else to say.”
