Georginio Wijnaldum admits he 'cannot deny' Barcelona contact
By Tom Gott
Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has admitted he is in talks over a move to Barcelona this summer, but he will be blocked from completing the transfer until after the European Championship.
The Dutchman's imminent move to Camp Nou is perhaps the worst-kept secret around these days, with most outlets in agreement that he has already signed a contract to tie himself to Barcelona for the next three seasons.
Having played his final match for Liverpool, Wijnaldum has now jetted off to join the Dutch camp ahead of the Euros, and when he first arrived there, Marca note he was asked about his Barcelona move.
"I can't deny contact with Barcelona," he confessed. "I've just left Liverpool, it's an interesting situation for many clubs."
Wijnaldum went into more depth about his future in an interview carried by ESPN, in which he admitted to being incredibly emotional about leaving Anfield for the final time.
"You can't congratulate me yet. I can't say anything about it yet," he said of joining Barcelona. "It's not finished yet, so there is no news yet. We will see.
"I am still busy saying goodbye to Liverpool. I am still emotional because I got a goodbye that not many players got before me. Why I left, you will hear again. It will come out. The club also has to deal with the fact that I am gone."
While Wijnaldum had preferred to get his future sorted out before the Euros, Dutch manager Frank de Boer revealed (via VI) that neither he nor Memphis Depay will be allowed to undergo medicals with any suitors until after the Euros.
De Boer wants his players to be fully focused on this summer's tournament, although surely letting them wrap things up now is the better way to deal with that? He'll now have two players terrified of getting injured and missing out on the move of a lifetime.
For now, it appears as though Barcelona will have to focus on Sergio Aguero. The Manchester City striker is in Spain and is set for a medical on Monday ahead of joining La Blaugrana on a free transfer.