Gini Wijnaldum has confirmed his departure from Liverpool, and now the Dutchman is attracting interest from at least six clubs including Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
Sunday marked Wijnaldum’s last game with the Reds, and after captaining his side to a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, the No. 5 bid an emotional farewell to the club.
“I hope to have played many more years for the club but unfortunately things went different,” he said. “I have to start a new adventure.”
Wijnaldum insisted that he “didn’t sign somewhere else,” with his focus being on finishing the campaign strongly with Liverpool – which culminated in a third-place finish against all odds.
Now, the 30-year-old will be busy finding a new club, and according to Sky Sports, Barcelona and Bayern are among six clubs interested.
This would come as no surprise, as Wijnaldum has been heavily linked with both sides throughout his final year with Liverpool, with his agent even courting approaches from Bayern in an interview earlier this month.
It appears as though Bayern is his most likely destination, with This Is Anfield’s well-connected Bundesliga reporter Chris Williams revealing that “the conversations are now advanced.”
“Initial contact came some weeks ago, with the main details left until the Premier League season had ended,” Williams added.
Wijnaldum would certainly suit Bayern’s approach, and as a free transfer would fit their business model, though he would naturally require a hefty signing-on fee and high wages.
He would effectively join as a belated replacement for Thiago, who left Munich for Liverpool in a £25 million deal last summer, while Javi Martinez is also due to leave on the expiry of his contract on July 1.
Corentin Tolisso could be expected to depart the Allianz Arena, and Wijnaldum has been touted as a more cost-effective signing than Borussia Monchengladbach’s Florian Neuhaus and Rennes’ Eduardo Camavinga.
Few Liverpool supporters will begrudge the Netherlands international leaving for a club like Bayern, as he is deserving of a key role at the top level.
His move away from Merseyside is bittersweet, as many would have hoped for an extended stay for a player who broke his appearance record for a season in 2021/22, featuring 51 times in all competitions.
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