Barcelona Close To Signing Liverpool Star After Agreeing Personal Terms, Report Says

Barcelona has agreed personal terms to sign Liverpool star Gini Wijnaldum in a possible three-year contract, according to a report.

The Catalans are slowly getting back to their feet after the exhausting Lionel Messi exit saga, which ended with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner agreeing to stay on at Barcelona and acknowledging that new coach Ronald Koeman indeed has new ideas for the club. One of the signings Barca is expected to make under Koeman is Liverpool midfielder Wijnaldum.

With the strong interest from Koeman, Wijnaldum is now in advanced talks with Barcelona and is set to sign a three-year deal after the Dutch midfielder agreed personal terms with the club, Sport reported.

According to the report, Wijnaldum rejected Liverpool’s contract extension offer amid Thiago Alcantara’s arrival, which would have seen Wijnaldum's playing time reduced. The 29-year-old is up for new challenges and a club like Barca would be a good fit.

Barcelona, meanwhile, just needs some “minor details to be worked out with Liverpool.” The Catalan club is hoping to pay around €15 million ($17.8 million) plus variables, although the final figure is expected to exceed €20 million ($24 million).

The Dutch manager, who made Wijnaldum a key member of his national side in the past, had endorsed the player’s move to the Barcelona board. The new Barcelona coach is said to be an admirer of Wijnaldum’s work rate and considered him to as a player to fill the void in the midfield even before Ivan Rakitic departed the club.

Sources have also revealed that Barcelona is confident that Wijnaldum can be lured away from the reigning Premier League champ prior to the transfer deadline on Oct. 5, according to Goal.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has refused to elaborate on Wijnaldum’s situation. However, the renowned manager insisted that the midfield star had a great time with the Reds.

“It's all between us and the player, these kind of things,” Klopp said of Wijnaldum. “It's all good at the moment, all fine. Gini played very well in pre-season and has obviously had a couple of good seasons for us. That's all I can say about that.”