Georginio Wijnaldum surely shocked many within FC Barcelona when he elected to sign a multi-year contract deal with Paris Saint-Germain. The French powerhouse opened up contract talks with Wijnaldum last week and in the end, the two sides came to terms on a free transfer agreement.
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique was following this transfer saga. However, Wijnaldum’s call to sign with PSG over Barca was not much of a surprise to him as he did not know just where his club stood in free transfer talks with the midfielder.
In speaking to Ibai’s Twitch channel, Pique detailed his takeaways from Wijnaldum snubbing Barca in the end.
“I didn’t even know it was almost done,” Pique said. “If he finally left for PSG, it is his decision and we must respect it. The club does not keep us informed of the progress of negotiations with one or the other.
“We discover the signatures by the networks.”
Wijnaldum would have been Barca’s third free transfer signing of the month, as club officials had already come to terms on deals with former Manchester City talents Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia.
For PSG, the Ligue 1 giants now have their first major signing of this year’s summer transfer window.
More must-reads: