Georginio Wijnaldum confirms he is leaving Liverpool

Georginio Wijnaldum has confirmed he will depart Liverpool on a free transfer this summer.

Wijnaldum is a club legend, forming a vital part of the sides that won the Champions League in 2019 and Premier League in 2020. Since joining the Reds in 2016 the Dutchman has been a near ever present, making just shy of 250 appearances in all competitions and scoring 22 goals.

His future has been uncertain for some time, but he finally confirmed that he would be leaving Anfield after Liverpool's 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on the final day of the season.

"I'm fighting against tears right now. The people in Liverpool have shown me love during the five years. I will miss them, you know," Wijnaldum told Sky Sports (via the Express).

"I hope to have played many more years for the club but unfortunately things went different. I have to start a new adventure. I knew I went to a big club. I remember that I was sitting in the living room and the manager said when I come to Liverpool we would win prizes. I am happy it went that will. It would have been really painful to leave the club without any.

"It's really special. Since I've joined the fans have sung my name. Week-in, week-out they saw I was giving 100 per cent to give everything for this club. That's what the supporters want to see and that's what they appreciate from me. It is something I'm going to miss."

Wijnaldum's comments seem to suggest that although he wanted to stay, he could not find an agreement with Liverpool. The sticking point is likely over contract length. The midfielder is 30 and the Reds have shown a reluctance to offering longer term contract to older players in the past.

He is expected to join Barcelona but Wijnaldum denied any pre-agreement being in place, as has been reported in the past.

"I didn't sign somewhere else. Everyone knows in football everything can happen. The situation is right now that on 1 July I am not a Liverpool player," he said.

"We will see what I will do in the next couple of weeks. I will rest a little bit then go to the national team.
I will have to look at my story and how everything went. The fans deserve to know the story behind it."