Barcelona have been paired with an interest in Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, but as of yet the Catalan giants have not made an approach to sign him.
Following Ronald Koeman’s appointment as their new coach this week, Barca will be expected to be active in the summer transfer window to allow the Dutchman to stamp his mark on the squad.
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Given his recent stint in charge of the Netherlands, he could choose to secure immediate reunions with key players that fit his ideas and system best, and it appears as though Wijnaldum could be one of those targets.
According to Sky Sports, Koeman is ‘an admirer’ of the Dutch midfielder, but Barcelona have not yet made an approach to sign him from the reigning Premier League champions.
However, it’s noted that while Wijnaldum’s current contract expires next summer, there are currently no talks over a new deal and so that in turn will raise concern and doubts over his future on Merseyside as the club will not want to lose him for nothing next year.
Further, the 29-year-old could be tempted by the offer of a long-term deal at Barcelona as they begin a rebuild of sort to bounce back from what has been a bitterly disappointing season, and so there is a threat that he might choose to start a new challenge elsewhere.
That said, given the success that Liverpool have enjoyed over the past two seasons, it would surely be difficult for him to walk away from that if there is still hope of a new deal being signed, and so time will tell if Barcelona ramp up their interest or if Liverpool look to shut down the speculation and agree new terms with their key midfield star.