Wijnaldum rejects Barcelona to sign three-year-deal with PSG

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 10 Jun 2021 14:10 BST

Former Liverpool midfielder Gini Wijnaldum has rejected a move to Barcelona to instead join Paris Saint-Germain on a three-year-deal.

The Ligue 1 side confirmed the signing of the 30-year-old midfielder in a social media post on Thursday.

After five years at Liverpool, Wijnaldum spent much of the season being linked with Barcelona, but has decided to move to PSG instead.

READ MORE: Four reasons why PSG were desperate to beat Barcelona to Wijnaldum

What Wijnaldum accomplished in the Premier League

After arriving from PSV Eindhoven for £18m, Wijnaldum hit the ground running at St James’ Park, and was instantly a fan favourite. Deployed on the left-wing, rather than the central position he has made his own in recent times, the Dutchman was quick to adapt to the physical nature of the Premier League, utilising his technical ability to make up for his small frame.

He carried his goalscoring form from the Eredivisie into the Premier League, and he netted 11 goals and assisted five as he finished the campaign as the Magpies’ top-scorer. The standout moment from his time at Newcastle was when he scored four times in a 6-2 win over Norwich in October 2015.

Despite the side suffering relegation, his form for Newcastle prompted Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool to spend £25m to secure his signature that summer. Under new management, Wijnaldum’s role changed, and he moved infield to occupy a No.8 role.

With Klopp using his full-backs for creativity, his midfield three were simply required to win the ball back and keep it. Wijnaldum’s technical ability perfectly suited this, and hence over the past four seasons, he hasn’t dipped below a 90% pass accuracy in the league.