It’s no secret that Michael Edwards is something of a guru at Liverpool.
The Reds’ Director of Football has overseen quite a few absolutely brilliant transfers for the Premier League champions, whether that relates to incomings or outgoings.
But he is, it would seem, struggling to keep one player at Liverpool.
Gini Wijnaldum is out of contract at Anfield this summer and despite plenty of negotiations over the past few months, the Netherlands international has so far failed to agree a new deal.
According to The Times, Liverpool are growing pessimistic in their efforts to keep him and Wijnaldum is ‘likely’ to leave Merseyside without penning an extension.
Barcelona have been linked on and off for the past 12 months or so but in fairness to Wijnaldum, the former Newcastle United midfielder was free to negotiate with any foreign club in January and the fact that he hasn’t signed for anybody else indicates that he either respects Jurgen Klopp and Edwards too much to agree a mid-season move, or there’s still a chance he could be persuaded to stay.
The 30-year-old, labelled a ‘perfect’ player by Klopp in 2019, has once again proven himself a fantastic asset for the club and with Edwards overlooking these kind of affairs, he could yet remind everybody why he’s such a highly-rated figure behind the scenes.
If he does leave, it’ll be for free and therefore Liverpool will be kicking themselves after spending £25 million to sign him in 2016, but one Champions League and Premier League title apiece suggests that he’s been a wonderful addition and losing him period would sting more than losing him for nothing.
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