PSG Hijack Koeman’s Top Target As Barcelona Refuse To Raise Bid For $35M Midfielder: Report

Liverpool FC midfielder Gini Wijnaldum has reportedly decided to sign a deal with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and not FC Barcelona this summer.

Hijacking one of Ronald Koeman’s top targets -- Wijnaldum, PSG have offered the midfielder wages double of that of Barcelona’s bid. Wijnaldum is set to sign a deal with PSG that would see the Netherlands national at the Le Parc des Princes until 2024, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, who has a credible record in European transfer markets, wrote on his official Twitter account.

It was previously reported that a verbal agreement had been reached between Barcelona and Wijnaldum and only the medicals were left to be conducted. However, Barcelona are not willing to match or exceed their bid in order to beat PSG in the signing of Wijnaldum, who is leaving Liverpool as a free agent this summer.

It was recently revealed that Wijnaldum was being forced to accept a salary cut at Barcelona. Along with a lucrative offer from PSG, a personal interest from head coach Mauricio Pochettino also helped Wijnaldum to turn towards the French giants.

Wijnaldum is currently training with the Netherlands squad ahead of the European Championships, which will see his team pitted against Austria, North Macedonia and Ukraine in the group stage games. In the absence of Virgil van Dijk, who is currently recovering from his ACL injury, Wijnaldum will lead the Holland side in the competition, which is due to begin on June 11.

The 30-year-old midfielder is coming off a memorable campaign with Liverpool in 2020-21. While the club suffered several ups and downs throughout the season, the defending Premier League champions ended on a high. Wijnaldum started four out of Liverpool’s last five league games as Jurgen Klopp’s men took 15 points out of a possible 15 and sealed Champions League soccer for the next campaign.

Wijnaldum, who made a $35 million move from Newcastle to Merseyside in 2016, took very little time to become a vital cog of the Liverpool side, scoring 22 goals and providing 16 assists in as many as 237 competitive appearances and helping the Reds win the Champions League, Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and the Premier League.

After Liverpool's final game of the 2020-21 campaign, Klopp hailed Wijnaldum in a post-match interview.

"Each club who is interested in him should call me and ask about him. Then you will take him, definitely, because I could not be more positive about what he did here. It’s incredible. I told him that after the game, he sees it the same way and the goodbye would not be tough if the time you had together was not worth it. So, it’s really tough because we had a great time together," Klopp told Liverpool's official website.