Ex-Liverpool fullback Philipp Degen spoke of his concern about Gini Wijnaldum, with the Dutchman yet to agree an extension with the Reds.
Comparing the club’s situation to that previously experienced with former Red Emre Can, the Swiss warned that the No.5 should “be thinking very hard” about his next move.
“I don’t know exactly what his status is and why he hasn’t signed, so maybe it is money, maybe he wants to move,” Degen told the Blood Red podcast (via the Echo). “But if I am him and I am part of this club which won the Champions League and the league – I stay in Liverpool. He is at one of the best teams in Europe and you have to be a high, high club where he wants to move.”
Fans will remember that Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman admitted an interest in bringing his fellow Dutchman to the Camp Nou in the summer.
Though the Catalan side will always hold a certain attraction for players across the globe, we would be inclined to agree with our former defender that a move away from the Premier League champions wouldn’t make sense.
Having recently won the Champions League, Gini has not been shortchanged when it comes to winning major trophies under Jurgen Klopp, so the case could be made that he would be leaving to join a worse-off team – even if it was with Barca.
If it’s an issue that revolves purely around money, as Degen has suggested, then it’ll be up to Liverpool’s hierarchy to weigh up the short and long-term benefits of submitting to the midfielder’s contract demands.
Provided that his terms aren’t extortionate, Wijnaldum would be worth every extra penny.
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