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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Connor Dunn

Barcelona stumbling block emerges before Gini Wijnaldum can sign from Liverpool

Barcelona will look to offload Miralem Pjanic this summer in order to make room for Gini Wijnaldum in their midfield, according to Spanish media.

A report in publication Sport outlines what manager Ronald Koeman is prioritising this summer at the Camp Nou.

And he is believed to want Liverpool star Wijnaldum in order to "add muscle and positioning in the centre of the field while also adding international experience to raise the bar".

The article states that despite Dutch international Wijnaldum recently claiming there was nothing to say about his future as he enters the final months of his deal at Anfield, "he has agreed everything with Barca while waiting for the club to ratify his contract".

And the La Liga giants are reportedly assessing their options in the engine room, deciding what role their homegrown players could play and what the viability of Pjanic's exit is - with claims it is that holding up the agreement with Wijnaldum.

Koeman is said to want 30-year-old Wijnaldum to sign a three-year deal, should the transfer go through.

Earlier this month, the Dutchman was asked about his next move in a press conference ahead of Liverpool's Champions League clash with RB Leipzig.

Wijnaldum said: "It would be really difficult [to leave] because if that happens, you will leave a team who you really love, who you have shared a lot of years together with and where you feel really comfortable.

"It will be difficult but on the other side, you don't know the situation and why you have to leave, so it all depends on the situation. But I will be devastated that I am not going to play for this team anymore for sure."

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