After Wijnaldum’s nightmare against Nice, PSG look for buyers
When Paris Saint-Germain hijacked Barcelona’s pursuit of Georginio Wijnaldum last summer, it was hailed as a major coup for the French side. Just a few months on, however, the Dutch midfielder has failed to live up to expectations and PSG could look to sell him this summer after just one year at the Parc des Princes.
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Wijnaldum was signed as a free agent and has a contract until 2024. But, according to the Daily Mail, the Ligue 1 leaders are already scanning the market for potential buyers.
On Saturday night as PSG lost 1-0 against Nice in Ligue 1, Wijnaldum turned in a particularly poor performance. He touched the ball just 28 times in the 90 minutes, while he lost possession four times, won just one of four duels and failed to properly track Andy Delort for the winning goal.
Gini Wijnaldum touched the ball 28 times tonight!!! In midfield. For PSG. With 60% of the ball. In case your wonder about the other midfielders: Verratti 138 touches, Danilo 66! 😳🤷♂️
— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) March 5, 2022
Which clubs could sign Wijnaldum?
It won’t be easy for PSG to move on an out-of-form 31-year-old midfielder on high wages, but there are already two potential landing spots for Wijnaldum.
One is Aston Villa, who have been able to revive Philippe Coutinho and who believe they can do the same with the Dutchman. Steven Gerrard is reportedly keen to sign the Liverpool man and there is even talk of a £21 million offer being prepared.
The other club that could take Wijnaldum off PSG’s hands is Atletico Madrid, with Diego Simeone looking for another central midfielder after learning that Hector Herrera is on his way to Houston Dynamo in MLS. Atleti don’t want to pay a large fee, though, so this could be a stumbling block in any negotiations with the Parisians.
There are still three months remaining of the 2021/22 season, so there is still time for Wijnaldum to rediscover the form he showed at Liverpool, where he saved some of his best performances for the Champions League. But, at this early stage, the capital city side’s free transfer is looking less and less like the bargain it was made out to be.
