The 2021 summer transfer window was filled with surprise moves after another, including former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum’s decision to snub Barcelona in favor of a move to Paris Saint-Germain. Even as there was much speculation that Wijnaldum would end up reuniting with former Netherlands national team manager Ronald Koeman at Barca, he decided to instead join PSG on a free transfer deal.
From Koeman’s standpoint, he had aspired to see Wijnaldum take his talents to the Catalan side, but as he explained to the Dutch-based outlet AD, there was some miscommunication with club president Joan Laporta that ended up causing a breakdown in the transfer talks.
“I tried to sign Wijnaldum for Barca but I failed because the president wanted to annoy me more than bringing in a player,” Koeman said. “That delayed the operation and for that reason, he opted for PSG. Otherwise, he would have played for Barcelona.”
PSG took full advantage of the standstill between Barca and Wijnaldum to swoop in and sign the Dutch midfielder, although it turned out to be a move to regret. Not much went Wijnaldum’s way over his first season at PSG, which then saw him agree to a season-long loan move to Serie A side AS Roma. Wijnaldum is currently sidelined due to a fracture tibia injury, and it is still unknown as to just when he will receive the green light to return to in-game action.
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