Georginio Wijnaldum of Liverpool football club said he decided to sign for Paris Saint Germain instead of Barcelona because the French club made their intention clearer than the Spanish club.
Wijnaldum stunned most Barcelona fans when it was announced that he has decided to sign a three-year deal with PSG when they thought he was closer to joining Barcelona.
From last summer to the end of the 2020-2021 season, Barcelona looked like the next destination for the 30-year-old Dutch midfielder immediately it was cleared that he would not extend his contract with Liverpool. One of the pointers that he was bound to go to Barcelona was that his former national team coach, Ronald Koeman is the coach of Barcelona.
However, that became nothing when PSG came into the picture. It was reported that the Netherlands international decided to join PSG instead of Barcelona because the French club offered a more lucrative deal.
But it seems that might not be the major reason why the attacking midfielder decided to go to France instead of Spain. In a press conference in the ongoing Euro 2020, the Netherlands national team captain said Barcelona delayed the negotiation process.
He revealed that the negotiation process between him and Barcelona lasted for over a month without reaching an agreement which was not as fast as the negotiations he had with PSG.
Besides how fast the negotiations were, Georginio Wijnaldum who would captain the Netherlands to play their first Euro 2020 match against Ukraine on Sunday, noted that the project at PSG appeals to him.
“I made another choice. It was very difficult. I was negotiating with Barcelona for four weeks, and we never reached a final decision,” Wijnaldum said.
“Paris Saint-Germain was a bit better in making a decision. They were quicker. And the project that they have at PSG really appealed to me.
“It was a difficult choice I have to be honest. I thought I would be moving to Barcelona because they were the only team who were really interested in me, but we did not reach an agreement together.
“PSG were much clearer in making that decision.”
Georginio Wijnaldum’s contract with Liverpool will expire on June 30, 2021. This means that immediately after the ongoing Euro 2020, he would relocate to Paris, France to start his three-year deal with the club.
Before now, Wijnaldum who joined Liverpool from Newcastle United in 2016 scored 22 goals and provided 16 assists in 237 games. He won a Premier League title, UEFA Champions League, Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup for Liverpool.
🔟 magnificent @GWijnaldum moments at the Reds ❤️ pic.twitter.com/LQBd0CNF17
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 10, 2021
