Bayern set to steal midfielder from under Barcelona’s nose

Gini transfer gazumped

It has long been assumed that Gini Wijnaldum was, on the expiry of his deal at Liverpool this summer, set to join Barcelona. The Dutch connection with boss Ronald Koeman, and the fact that no other clubs were in the picture, made this assumption natural.

Wijnaldum has certainly played his final game for Jurgen Klopp’s side, although he appeared to suggest in his farewell that it was the club, not him, that wanted to move on. The Dutch midfielder wrote:

 “I would have loved to remain a Liverpool player for many more years, but unfortunately things went different”.

Thank you for everything, I will miss you #YNWA ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/kUsvxc3qbi

— Gini Wijnaldum (@GWijnaldum) May 23, 2021

However, there appears to have been an eleventh-hour twist in this transfer saga, with Sky.DE reporting that Bayern Munich have shot to the front of the queue for the 30-year-old midfielder, having waiting until the end of the season to make their move.

According to respected Bundesliga journalist Chris Williams, the deal is close. He said:

“My understanding is the conversations are now advanced, initial contact came some weeks ago, with the main details left until the Premier League season”.

Sky Sport DE reporting Bayern have contacted Gini Wijnaldum. My understanding is the conversations are now advanced, initial contact came some weeks ago, with the main details left until the Premier League season had ended, Wijnaldum wanted to fully concentrate on LFC’s run-in.

— Chris Williams (@Chris78Williams) May 24, 2021

Barca’s budget concerns

Were Wijnaldum to choose Bayern over Barca, it would represent a blow to the Catalan club, who are already working on a minute budget. With significant debt only worsened by the global pandemic, it is widely expected that Barcelona will need to sell to buy this summer, otherwise relying on frees.

They have already signed veteran marksman Sergio Aguero on a free contract this summer, and look set to add fellow free agent Memphis Depay to their ranks in the near future.

Sergio Agüero to Barcelona, here we go! He’s set to join until June 2023, agreement reached. Bonus included in case Barça will win the UCL. 🔵🔴 #FCB

More: Barcelona are also getting closer to sign Memphis Depay. He confirmed to his new lawyers that he wants to join Barça 🚨🇳🇱

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 21, 2021

However, it appears they will have to look elsewhere for midfield reinforcements.

Read more:

Gini Wijnaldum could still remain at Liverpool beyond current season

Wijnaldum ‘wants’ Bayern Munich move

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Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester City FC	38	51	86
2	Manchester United FC	38	29	74
3	Liverpool FC	38	26	69
4	Chelsea FC	38	22	67
5	Leicester City FC	38	18	66
6	West Ham United FC	38	15	65
7	Tottenham Hotspur FC	38	23	62
8	Arsenal FC	38	16	61
9	Leeds United	38	8	59
10	Everton FC	38	-1	59
11	Aston Villa FC	38	9	55
12	Newcastle United FC	38	-16	45
13	Wolverhampton Wanderers FC	38	-16	45
14	Crystal Palace FC	38	-25	44
15	Southampton FC	38	-21	43
16	Brighton & Hove Albion FC	38	-6	41
17	Burnley FC	38	-22	39
18	Fulham FC	38	-26	28
19	West Bromwich Albion	38	-41	26
20	Sheffield United FC	38	-43	23

Player	Team	Goals
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur FC	23
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	22
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United FC	17
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur FC	17
Bamford, Patrick	Leeds United	17
Calvert-Lewin, Dominic	Everton FC	16
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City FC	15
Watkins, Ollie	Aston Villa FC	14
Gundogan, Ilkay	Manchester City FC	13
Lacazette, Alexandre	Arsenal FC	13
Wilson, Callum	Newcastle United FC	12
Ings, Danny	Southampton FC	12
Wood, Chris	Burnley FC	12
Iheanacho, Kelechi	Leicester City FC	12
Rashford, Marcus	Manchester United FC	11
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	11
Pereira, Matheus	West Bromwich Albion	11
Bale, Gareth	Tottenham Hotspur FC	11
Zaha, Wilfried	Crystal Palace FC	11
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City FC	10

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards
McGinn, John	Aston Villa FC	0	12
Gallagher, Conor	West Bromwich Albion	0	11
Maguire, Harry	Manchester United FC	0	11
Phillips, Kalvin	Leeds United	0	10
Hojbjerg, Pierre	Tottenham Hotspur FC	0	9
Milivojevic, Luka	Crystal Palace FC	1	8
Lundstram, John	Sheffield United FC	1	8
Luiz, Douglas	Aston Villa FC	0	8
Holgate, Mason	Everton FC	0	9
Bissouma, Yves	Brighton & Hove Albion FC	1	8
Soucek, Tomas	West Ham United FC	1	7
Shaw, Luke	Manchester United FC	0	8
Xhaka, Granit	Arsenal FC	1	7
Bellerin, Hector	Arsenal FC	0	8
Andersen, Joachim	Fulham FC	1	7
Egan, John	Sheffield United FC	1	7
Hayden, Isaac	Newcastle United FC	0	8
Dallas, Stuart	Leeds United	0	7
McGoldrick, David	Sheffield United FC	0	7
Reid, Bobby	Fulham FC	0	7

Player	Team	Assists
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur FC	14
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United FC	12
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City FC	11
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur FC	10
Grealish, Jack	Aston Villa FC	10
Rashford, Marcus	Manchester United FC	9
Raphinha	Leeds United	9
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City FC	8
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	8
Harrison, Jack	Leeds United	8
Werner, Timo	Chelsea FC	8
Gross, Pascal	Brighton & Hove Albion FC	8
Cresswell, Aaron	West Ham United FC	8
Pereira, Matheus	West Bromwich Albion	7
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City FC	7
Firmino, Roberto	Liverpool FC	7
Ward-Prowse, James	Southampton FC	7
Eze, Eberechi	Crystal Palace FC	7
Alexander-Arnold, Trent	Liverpool FC	7
Robertson, Andrew	Liverpool FC	7