Newcastle are looking to re-sign former player they once paid £14.5m for

Follow us on Google Discover

Premier League strugglers Newcastle United are eyeing up a shock swoop to bring Gini Wijnaldum back to St James’ Park with the Dutchman struggling for game-time at Ligue 1 champions PSG, as reported by TEAMtalk. 

If Wijnaldum had got his own way, he’d still be plying his trade on Merseyside rather than the French capital. 

Netherlands international admitted last month that, given the opportunity, he’d have stayed at Liverpool for another couple of seasons.

The club’s American owners saw things rather differently, however, refusing to hand Wijnaldum the long-term contract he wanted with his 31^st birthday looming on the horizon. 

And though things have improved somewhat for Wijnaldum recently – he scored twice against RB Leipzig in the Champions League and once against Bordeaux – the former PSV captain is not exactly relishing his supporting role in an all-star Paris Saint-Germain cast. 

Could PSG’s Gini Wijnaldum really return to Newcastle United?

“I’m not completely happy,” Wijnaldum admitted to NOS recently. “The situation is not what I wanted. 

“I have played a lot in recent years. This is something different and that takes getting used to. I was really looking forward to the new step and then this happens. It is very difficult.” 

If it’s regular first-team football Wijnaldum wants, then we’d imagine he would find weekly starts easier to come by at Newcastle than at PSG.

Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden are not exactly Marco Verratti and Leandro Paredes after all. 

According to TEAMtalk, the cash-rich Magpies have their sights set on something shiny during the January transfer window and could offer Wijnaldum a return to familiar surroundings – although convincing PSG to part with a vital squad member after just half a season will be easier said than done. 

Wijnaldum spent just one season at St James’ Park, scoring 11 times from central midfield before joining Liverpool in a £23 million deal shortly after Newcastle were relegated for the second time during Mike Ashley’s tenure.