Liverpool midfielder moves a step closer to ‘dream’ move

Many had expected Liverpool to challenge for the title once again as they defended their first Premier League trophy.

But instead the Reds are having something of a season to forget, with the Champions League the only realistic chance of silverware remaining.

Jurgen Klopp’s side set an unwanted club record when they lost 1-0 to Fulham last weekend, losing six home games in a row for the first time in the club’s 129-year history.

The Reds may have stopped the rot with a 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday, but Klopp will be keen to ensure they turn their fortunes around when they face Wolves in the league on Sunday.

Arguably the club’s player of the season so far, midfielder Gini Wijnaldum has been one of a select few players who has impressed in 2020/21.

However, the Netherlands international could be on his way out of Anfield in the summer, with Football Insider reporting that the player has been offered a lucrative contract by Spanish giants Barcelona.

Wijnaldum has started 26 of Liverpool’s 28 league games this term

Wijnaldum reportedly sees the prospect of joining the Catalan giants as his ‘dream move’, and is keen to agree a deal to join Ronald Koeman’s side when his current Liverpool deal expires in June.

Koeman is rumoured to be a big admirer of his fellow countryman, and the opportunity to sign the player on a free transfer makes the 30-year-old an even more appealing target, given the alleged financial crisis that the La Liga side are currently facing.

The story reports that Liverpool have virtually given up any hopes of keeping the player beyond the end of his contract, with those in charge already aware that Wijnaldum has seen Barcelona as his dream move since childhood.

Under current rules, the Dutchman is able to sign a pre-contract agreement with any club outside of England.

The departure of Wijnaldum would be a significant loss for Klopp’s side, as the player has been a key man during the Reds’ Champions League and Premier League winning seasons in the last two years, and has been a regular starter during the side’s difficult campaign this term.

Overall, Wijnaldum has played over 220 times for the Merseyside club since joining them from Newcastle United in 2016.