Barcelona's 'Priority' $33M Signing Is In No Hurry To Leave Liverpool This Summer: Report

FC Barcelona’s new manager Ronald Koeman has reportedly made Liverpool FC midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum a "priority" signing at the ongoing summer transfer market.

Wijnaldum has been a key member of Liverpool’s success under Jurgen Klopp over the last couple of seasons, where The Reds have triumphed in the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World, and the latest one was the Premier League, which was the club’s first league title in 30 long years. Wijnaldum, who moved from Newcastle United to Anfield for a transfer fee of around $33 million, has one more year left in his current deal with Liverpool.

The Dutchman has not been offered an official deal extension yet. As a result, there have been rumors of a fallout between the player and Klopp. Renowned sports website ESPN has claimed both club and player have a difference in opinion in regards to the terms of any new deal. The report further explained that Klopp still values Wijnaldum, who is in no hurry to leave. The relationship between the two is still solid that the German manager could consider risking losing the player for free next summer if he must.

Soccer website teamTALK, which specializes in transfer markets, has revealed that Koeman has begun to revamp Barcelona ahead of the 2020-21 season and wants his compatriot Wijnaldum to be a part of it. The same report has claimed that Wijnaldum’s transfer to Nou Camp is now Koeman’s priority, who in fact is considering it a "non-negotiable goal".

Liverpool recently lost the Community Shield against Arsenal on penalties. After the match, in a press conference, Klopp was quizzed about Wijnaldum’s transfer situation at Anfield. To which, Klopp replied, "That’s an open contract situation, obviously. Otherwise, you would know. And that means we don’t talk about that. I never did in press conferences so why should I change that?"

Koeman shares a great relationship with Wijnaldum, who played a vital role in the former’s run as Netherlands national team’s coach between 2018 and 2020. Under Koeman’s reign, Netherlands reached the final of the inaugural Nations League, which they eventually lost to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

It was previously reported Koeman has urged Wijnaldum to not sign a new deal with Liverpool and the Barcelona boss has also identified Liverpool superstar Sadio Mane as a long-term replacement for Lionel Messi, who is tipped to leave the Nou Camp side this summer.